Golden porch : a book of Greek fairy tales

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NY PUBLC BRARY THE BRANCH LIBRARIES

33333011964745

THE GOLDEN PORCH

THE

GOLDEN PORCH

A BOOK OF GREEK FAIRY
TALES

BY

W. M. L. HUTCHINSON

WITH TL7>U;STKA/r;;GNS

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SECOND IMPRESSION

NEW YORK

LONGMANS, GREEN, AND CO.

LONDON: EDWARD ARNOLD

1914

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PREFACE

r I ^HE name of this book is borrowed from the
-*- Ode in which Pindar has enshrined the love-
liest of fairy stories the " leaf-fringed legend '
of the Pansy Child. The poet was bidden to pre-
pare that Ode in honour of a friend's victory in
the Olympic Games, and he likens his task to
the building of a palace. Golden pillars, he says,
must bear up the porch of this House of Song,
and the glories of the victor shall form those
pillars, glittering afar in the sumptuous frontal
of the fabric. Now, chief among the victor's
glories, was his descent from the namesake of the
Pansy, the holy Seer of Olympia, and so, through
that Golden Porch, Pindar leads us into Fairy-
land.

In adding one more to the innumerable collec-
tions of stories from the Greek, I have hoped to
break fresh ground by reproducing the myths of
Pindar's Odes, as far as possible in a free trans-
lation, and with such additions only as were

viii PREFACE

needed to form a framework. Some of these
legends are already wholly or partly familiar,
but several will be new, I think, to English
readers.

It may be said that Greek myths, especially as
handled by the poet who wove into them his
deepest criticisms of life, are misleadingly, if not
profanely, entitled fairy tales.

But I would plead that nothing in Greek litera-
ture, except the stories of Herodotus, is so steeped
in the true fairy atmosphere as are the myths
of Pindar. I need not speak of Aeschylus, the
creatures of whose Titanic imagination belong to
a universe of their own; but consider, for example,
the poet of the Odyssey. His wonder-world,
though real, lies far away ; Odysseus, he makes us
feel, has only to get back to Ithaca, and he has
no more chance of encountering a Cyclops or a
Laestrygon than you or I have. For Pindar, on
the contrary, all Hellas is enchanted ground ; it
was in Arcadia, in Argos, in his own Thebes, that
men of old fought uncanny monsters, entertained
divinity unawares, and learnt Earth's secrets from
talking beasts and birds. What wonder, if for
him, living in such a land, and turning from the
upheaval of a new era to gaze fondly on an ideal

PREFACE ix

past, that vanished world came alive again ! At
least, it is one charm of his story-telling that he
seems to be describing things he saw happen with
his own eyes, and another, that the marvels befall
quite simply, and, so to speak, intelligibly, in the
natural course of events.

To these essentials of the perfect fairy tale,
Pindar adds the accepted dramatis personae the
brave young prince, the wicked king, his foil, and
the incomparably beautiful princess. And always,
as in fairy tales all the world over, the wicked
king comes to a bad end, while the deserving hero
lives happy ever after.

The legends of the Trojan War belong of
course to a different category, for between the
time of Heracles and the time of Achilles the sun
of the fairy age has set.

It should perhaps be mentioned that some of
the stories here presented are put together from
the myths of several Odes, and most contain a
good deal not to be found in Pindar. But where
I have used other sources, or invented details, I
have tried firstly to introduce no version of a
myth not undoubtedly current in Pindar's day,
and secondly, to remember his maxim, that " dis-
paragement of the gods is a hateful art."

CONTENTS

PAGE

THE FAVOURITE OF THE GODS . . i

THE PRINCE WHO WAS A SEER . . 51

PELEUS AND THE SEA-KING'S

DAUGHTER . ... 97

THE LAD WITH ONE SANDAL . . 155

THE PANSY BABY 199

THE HEAVENLY TWINS . .221

THE ISLE OF THE ROSE. . . 255

THE FIRST HORSE ... 267

THE BUILDERS OF TROY . . 277

ILLUSTRATIONS

PELEUS WRESTLES WITH THETIS . . Frontispiece

NIOBE SHIELDING HER DAUGHTER . To face page 50

THE CHILD ACHILLES BROUGHT TO

CHIRON ..... ,, ,, 140

BUILDING THE ARGO . . . . ,, ,,170

MEDEA'S MIRACLE .... ,, ,, 196

THE KING CONSULTS THE DELPHIC

ORACLE ..... ,, ,, 204

PEGASUS AND HIS RIDER ... ,. 274

ARTEMIS BRINGS APOLLO HIS CAR . 282

Xll

PROEM

HE that erst these legends told

Sang in far-off days of gold,

Ere yet from Earth the bright gods went,

Or toiling mortals, prison-pent

Where the frowning cities stand,

Forgot the way to Fairyland.

A blissful child, thro' greenwood bowers

He strayed, amid the April flowers,

And there, 'tis told, he once was found

On pansy pillow sleeping sound,

While the dusky mountain bees

Left for him the clover leas,

Left bluebell copse and crocus mead,

On his dreaming lips to feed.

But, for kisses that they stole,

The winged thieves paid wondrous toll,

Hallowing with chrism pure

Those baby lips, their rose-red lure.

Strange the might, as I shall tell,

Hidden in that honey-spell !

For the child, a stripling grown,

Still would haunt the forest lone,

Musing, ferny ways along,

The golden themes of antique song

xin

xiv PROEM

Wars and perilous wanderings,
Ancient marvels, hero-kings
Vanquishing in dauntless mood
Earth's primaeval dragon-brood,
All glittering quests, all glories won
Since Time's great wheel began to run.
So, like a bee, his aery thought
Store of secret treasure wrought
From every bud and blossom bright
In Memory's garden of delight.
Many a Summer morn the boy
Ranged the dewy woods in joy ;
Many an eve sat, half a-dream,
Where hazels hid a tinkling stream,
While softly to its drowsy chime
His lute's low harmonies kept time.
Then, in some divinest hour,
The magic of the wild-bee dower,
Swift as blaze of slumbering flame,
Sent a rapture thro' his frame.
To the runnel's brink he sprang,
Struck his Dorian lute and sang
Such a song, the nightingale
Hearing, hushed her plaintive tale ;
Such a song, the goat-foot Pan
Envied once a child of man !
Yes, the God whose music thrills
Thro' silent places of the hills,
The Watcher of the upland flocks
Who pipes at noon upon the rocks,

PROEM xv

Tiptoed near, the boughs among,

Fain to learn that mortal song,

And oft, since then, his reed flung by

To carol it in Arcady.

Great Pan is dead ; the woodlands hoar

Ring to his wild notes no more ;

And the voice he loved that day

Long from Earth has past away.

Yet still in this her wintry age

Its honey breathes from PINDAR'S page,

Whereon who looks shall seem to hear

Its very accents warbling clear

Of Thebes or Troy the tale sublime,

Or some green idyll of the prime,

In that sweetest human tongue

Moulded when the world was young.

Ah, might these dissonant echoes vain
Retrieve one cadence of the strain !

THE FAVOURITE OF THE GODS

CHAPTER 1

TONG, long ago, in an Eastern land, there
i ' lived a King who was the richest man in
the world. The rivers in his country ran over
golden sands, and their banks sparkled with gems
instead of pebbles. The King's fields were full
of stones, but he did not mind that, for every
stone was a lump of silver, and the hillsides were
bursting with rich red copper, which was even
better than gold or silver for making shields and
helmets and suits of armour. All the wealth of
the land was the King's very own, and he hardly
knew what to do with it all, he had so much.
Besides being so rich, Tantalus, for that was his
name, was so lucky in everything he put his
hand to, that people began to say he was the
special favourite of the gods, who had given him
everything the heart of man can desire. Now
for a long while, Tantalus deserved all his good
fortune ; he was kind and just to his subjects,
and famous far and near for his boundless hospi-
tality to strangers. High and low, rich and poor,

A

2 THE GOLDEN PORCH

all travellers were welcome to his house, to stay
as long as they would, faring sumptuously every
day, and none departed without splendid presents.
But his heart grew uplifted with the pride of his
power and glory, till he would not be content,
and longed to make himself still more renowned
and envied among men. No king had a more
stately dwelling than the palace in the city, which
his forefathers had builded, but Tantalus began
to despise it as unworthy of his majesty, and it
came into his mind that his people would pay
him yet greater honour and reverence if they
were not permitted to see his splendour every
day. He resolved to build himself a palace on
a mountain-top, a golden house that should
dazzle the eyes of all beholders, and dwell there
aloof, like a god in his temple ; then when he
came down to the city, the sight of him would
be a nine days' wonder, and the folk would begin
to think of him as greater and more glorious
than a mortal man.

So the golden house was built, and shone
like a star on the rocky crest of the mountain.
Far below in the city, men looked up to that
glittering speck among the clouds, and said that
their great King was neighbour now to the gods
above. When Tantalus saw the finished work,
his heart swelled with triumph and delight ; he
walked through its marble courts, where fountains

THE FAVOURITE OF THE GODS 3

spouted from the jaws of golden dragons, through
colonnades of silver pillars, shaped like palm trees,
with broad fans of gold and clustering fruit of
rubies, and came to the banqueting-hall, which
was like a vast bower of roses, yellow, white, and
pink, but the twining branches were golden, and
all the roseleaves were pearls. The ceiling was
enamel, the colour of the sky on a summer night,
and at dusk it glowed like the sky with a thousand
stars, which were lamps hollowed out of gems.
Tantalus had ordered a splendid feast to be made
ready, that he might sup for the first time in this
hall of roses. He watched the troops of slaves
spreading cushions of cloth of gold on ivory
chairs and couches, and setting forth food and
wine on tables of carved alabaster, in dishes of
gold and flagons of crystal or amethyst, and a
sad thought came to him in the height of his
pleasure. One thing was lacking to this feast,
though it was more magnificent than ever king
had dreamed of. For what was a feast without
guests ? What, after all, was the good of having
a golden palace, and a hall encrusted with pearls,
when he had no one but his own courtiers to sit
at his table and tell him how wonderful it all
was ? Some day, no doubt, he might entertain
some neighbour king, who would go away quite
humbled by the sight of these glories, but he fetl
that nothing would ever entirely console him for

4 THE GOLDEN PORCH

the want of guests, whose praise was really worth
having, guests who were his equals, to share his
feast that first night. As he thought thus, he
heard one of the courtiers, who had all followed
him through the palace with cries of delighted
wonder, say to the rest, " Truly, our lord the
King has built him a house that has not its
like on earth, and there can be nothing more
marvellous even in heaven. See, my friends,
how glorious is this chamber, where he will hold
his royal feast ! Would you not think that
gods, rather than men, were the expected guests
at such a banquet ? "

These words seemed to Tantalus an answer to
his unspoken wish. The gods ! Yes, they and
only they were guests worthy of him and his
surpassing splendours. With a proud gesture,
he threw up his hands heavenward, and cried
aloud, " I, Tantalus the King, bid the gods, one
and all, come taste of my good cheer."

No sooner had he spoken than a clap of
thunder shook the palace, and the courtyard
rang with the noise of horse-hoofs and of chariot-
wheels. The doors of the banqueting hall flew
open as if blown by a gust of wind, and a great
golden -brown eagle stalked through them up
the room, and perched upon the throne where
Tantalus was to sit. Next moment, a light
streamed from the doorway, brighter a thousand

THE FAVOURITE OF THE GODS 5

times than the radiance of the star-shaped lamps.
So dazzling it was, that the King and his train
covered their faces, and durst not look up. But
then was heard a sound of trailing robes and
gentle laughter, and a voice of unearthly sweet-
ness said, "Fear not, Tantalus, but look upon
your guests and make them welcome, for those
you bade to your feast are come." With that,
a soft hand drew away the King's hand from
before his eyes, and he saw that she who spoke
was Iris, the messenger of the gods. For she
had wings such as you may see in pictures of
the angels, only these were not white, but
shimmered with all the colours of the rainbow,
and Tantalus knew that the rainbow in the sky
is the reflection of those bright wings which carry
Iris over land and sea on the errands of the
Immortals. She now led the King to a seat at
the highest table, and, gathering courage to look
about him, he saw that a great company were
already sitting at the banquet, while his slaves
and courtiers seemed to have lost their fear, and
were waiting duteously upon them. On his own
royal throne sat one who seemed another but
a far more majestic king, crowned and sceptred,
and the eagle perched beside him ; and where
the Queen of Tantalus should have sat, was
another Queen, with whom no mortal princess
could compare for stately beauty, wearing, like

6 THE GOLDEN PORCH

a bride, a coronet of flowers and a flowing veil
inwrought with golden lilies. She, alone of the
guests, seemed to look disdainfully at that
glittering chamber, and, while the rest feasted
and made merry, she leaned back in her ivory
chair, stroking the sheeny neck of a peacock that
stood stiffly beside her with gorgeous tail out-
spread. Tantalus knew that those two must be
Zeus and Hera, the King and Queen of the gods,
and pride mingled with awe in his heart, to see
the greatest of the Immortals seated as guests
under his roof. Zeus, that dread lord of the
sky, whose mighty arm could hurl thunderbolts
in his wrath, had laid aside the fulness of his
glory, which was too bright for mortal eyes to
bear, and appeared in mild and gracious majesty ;
he smiled gravely and kindly on his host, and
Tantalus took courage to watch the rest of that
heavenly company. Not far from Zeus sat a
god who looked like his brother, which indeed
he was, but he had a sterner face and a less
kingly bearing, and wore no crown upon his
long black locks. Instead of a sceptre, he held
a trident of rock-crystal, and by this it was easy
to know him for Poseidon, who had power over
the sea, and all rivers and springs. Men feared
the anger of Poseidon scarcely less than that of
Zeus, because, though he had no thunderbolts,
he could make the earth rend and quake, or

THE FAVOURITE OF THE GODS 7

the sea run mountains high, with one blow of
his trident. But though he was fierce and
terrible if offended, none of the Immortals was
more kindly to the race of man, and none, it
was said, was so faithful a friend to those who
had once pleased him. And this, as you will
hear presently, was a true saying.

Close to Poseidon, and leaning lovingly against
his broad shoulder, Tantalus saw a bright-haired
youth, at whose feet lay a bow and quiver, and a
golden lyre. It was the archer Apollo, who is
the sweet singer of heaven, and near him sat nine

O

fair sisters crowned with violets, who are called
the Muses. As the feast went on, another youth,
whose smiling eyes sparkled with mischief, slipped
from his place and stood behind Apollo, and
stealthily picked up the golden lyre. But Apollo
turned, and took it from him laughing, and said,
"Ah, thieving Hermes! Did you not give me
this to make amends for the kine you stole from
me in the Arcadian pastures, when you were yet
a little roguish boy, and now would you .steal it
too? Nay, let me keep it, my brother, and you
shall hear me sing with the Nine, in honour of
our kind host. Then Tantalus looked eagerly at
the merry face of Hermes, for there were many
greater gods, but none more beloved than he, the
god of homely shepherds and of wayfarers. He
wore the cap and sandals of a traveller, but his

8 THE GOLDEN PORCH

cap was the cap of darkness, that made the wearer
invisible when he pleased, and his sandals were
the shoes of swiftness, that carried him dryshod
over the surface of the sea. The King knew that
all unlooked-for good luck, and all treasure trove,
is the gift of Hermes, and he it is who charms
asleep the eyes of whom he will, with the waving
of the wand he carries.

And now Apollo sang to the golden lyre, and
the Nine Muses sang with him. They sang in
praise of Tantalus, the generous, the hospitable,
the bounteous friend of the needy and the
stranger, and how his name was glorious in many
lands. They told how the gods looked down
with favour on the good deeds that he had done,
and how, in days to come, that favour should not
cease from his house, but bring yet greater glory
upon his children's children. That golden palace,
they declared, should vanish from the earth, and
be no more remembered, but generations yet
unborn should marvel while mighty bards told
in song the wondrous story of the race of
Tantalus.

Now Apollo and those violet-crowned goddesses
sang so enchantingly that not only the mortals but
the heavenly guests who heard them sat as if
spell-bound. Even the eagle, which had made
Tantalus uneasy from time to time by fixing a
fierce gaze upon him, and snapping its terrible

THE FAVOURITE OF THE GODS 9

hooked beak, was lulled asleep by the gracious
harmony, and sat with bluish eyelids closed,
motionless but for the rise and fall of its feathers,
like ripples on brown water, as its glossy back
heaved in slumber.

When the song ceased, Tantalus started as
though wakened from a dream, and looked
round him, almost fearing that he had only
seen the forms of the Immortals in a vision.
But it was all real, and no vision; there they
were still sitting, those wondrous guests, with the
same calm smile on their beautiful statue-like
faces. At that moment Zeus, who had not yet
spoken to the King, leaned forward and said
in deep, grave tones, " Right royally have you
feasted us, O Tantalus, and we thank you for
your good cheer. But since I know well that
you are the most generous of hosts, I wonder
that you should let one thing be wanting at
your banquet."

" What thing is that, O King of gods and
men ? " asked Tantalus humbly (yet he was
secretly angry that even Zeus should find fault
with him) ; " I am a mere mortal," he added,
" but the best a mortal can give I, surely, have
set before you."

"Nay, my friend," Zeus answered, "the one
thing you have not offered us is your best.
Your costly fare, your gold and gems and ivory,

io THE GOLDEN PORCH

are these your greatest treasures ? Think again,
if you have not something still more precious."

Then turning to Hera, who was smiling very
scornfully, he said, " Our generous host, my
Queen, is not the man to deny his guests the
choicest of his possessions ; he has but forgotten
for a moment what it is."

Just then, a curtain of Tynan crimson that
hung behind the throne was drawn quickly aside,
and a little child ran laughing into the hall. It
was the King's only son, the darling of his heart.
Frightened slaves had told the Queen, his mother,
that the gods were come down out of heaven to
the King's feast, and she had not dared to behold
them. But the child wanted so much to see
what the gods were like, that he slipped away
from her side, and now he stood gazing on them
without the least fear, for indeed he was too
young and too happy to be afraid of anything.
His father saw the little lad look up into the face
of Zeus with such innocent wonder that the god
smiled, and laid his hand tenderly on the curly
head.

" How say you now, Tantalus ? " he said :
"Will you not own that you have kept back one
treasure, worth more than the wealth of your
kingdom ? "

But Tantalus bent his head and could not
answer, for a sudden fear froze his heart. In

THE FAVOURITE OF THE GODS n

those days, no host would let his guests depart
without some gift, and a generous man would
offer them their choice of the treasures in his
house. Was it possible that the gods would
choose the gift of his only son, and was that
why Zeus had reproached him for not setting the
best he had before the eyes of his guests? Alas,
he saw plainly that the Immortals took more
delight in the child's beauty than in all the
wonders of the golden palace. The haughty
Hera stooped to kiss his forehead, and the other
goddesses called him to them one by one and
said, "Did you ever see such a lovely child?' 1
just as if they were mortal ladies. One of them,
who had great grey eyes, and was called Athena,
lifted him to her shoulder, to look at the golden
helmet she wore, and laughed because he said he
wanted one like it, and a shield and spear like
hers. Then the fairest of them all, whose name
was Aphrodite, took the little boy upon her lap,
and whispered coaxingly that she would give him
better playthings than shields or spears if he
would come and live with her, in her garden
of roses that bloomed all the year round. But
Poseidon, that stern-faced god, who sat beside
her, shook back his dark hair and said, "O Queen
of Love, have you not a boy of your own to play
with ? Come with me, little prince, for I will
love you with a truer love than this fair goddess,

12 THE GOLDEN PORCH

and you shall have a gift that will please you
better than her roses, when you come to be a

man.'

The child looked into Poseidon's eyes, which
were deep blue like the sea, and felt that he liked
this friendly god the best of all ; he climbed
upon his knee, and rested his little head on the
sea-god's shoulder, and, being already drowsy,
fell sound asleep. Meanwhile, Tantalus had
made up his mind what to do, for dearly though
he loved his son, his pride was stronger than
his love. It should never be said that he,
Tantalus the King, sent another king, the King
of the Sky, who had done him so great an
honour, away from his feast empty-handed.
Proudly he raised his head, at last, and met the
searching glance of Zeus. " Great Lord of the
Immortals," he said, " if indeed there is aught
in this poor house of mine to please you, and
these my other guests, I offer it with a willing
heart. If indeed I failed to adorn this feast with
my fairest jewel, it was with no grudging thought,
for behold, ever-living gods, that jewel is yonder,
and it is yours if you so choose." So saying, he
pointed to the sleeping child. Now Zeus knew
that pride and vainglory alone made Tantalus
so ready to give up his son, but he would not
judge him hardly, because he was a mortal man,
and good and evil were mingled in his heart

THE FAVOURITE OF THE GODS 13

like flowers and weeds in a garden. Therefore
the god thanked the King in gracious words,
even as a man might thank his friend. " Royal
Tantalus," he said, "this land of Lydia may boast
henceforth that her king is the most generous, as
well as the richest, in the world. Know, now,
that when I said you had not offered us your
best, I spoke to prove you, and to show my
Queen, and these my children and kinsfolk, how
nobly you can play the host. Now, my friend,
we bid you farewell, but we will not take your
son with us ; it is enough that you have freely
offered him to the gods, and in recompense for
that, a year shall not pass before both he and you
shall sit at our table, even as we have sat this
night at yours."

Then once more came a great flash of light,
and a peal of thunder, and when the dazzled
mortals could see clearly again, the gods had
vanished. The King looked hastily towards the
couch where Poseidon had sat, half-fearing that
he might have carried off the child, after all.
But there lay his little son, curled up among the
embroidered cushions, and smiling in his sleep.
One small hand held a rosebud Aphrodite had
given him from her bosom, and in the other lay
a strange blossom, white as the sea-foam. Posei-
don also had a garden, and this was one of the
flowers that grew there, under the waves.

i 4 THE GOLDEN PORCH

CHAPTER II

A YEAR had almost passed since the wonderful
night when the gods feasted in the house of Tan-
talus. The story of that banquet was carried far
and wide, and strangers came from many lands to
see with their own eyes the king who had enter-
tained Zeus himself, and hear from his own lips
how the Immortals had looked, and what they
had said to him. Tantalus was never tired of
boasting about it all, and if he was proud before,
you may fancy that now he was ten times prouder
and more vainglorious. As he repeated the mar-
vellous tale to guests at his feasts, surrounded by
so much splendour, and seated on the throne
where, as he told them, the King of the gods had
sat in all his majesty, he began to feel that he
himself was a sort of Zeus upon earth, and to
imitate all he could remember of the god's appear-
ance and behaviour. "Thus spoke Zeus," he
would say, holding out his own sceptre, and doing
his best to copy the voice of the heavenly King,
when he told the story. And at last, as it seemed
to him that he acted the part of a god exceed-
ingly well, he did it not only when he described
the visit of the Immortals, but every day and all
day long. But he forgot how gracious and how
gentle those Immortals had shown themselves,

THE FAVOURITE OF THE GODS 15

and only tried to copy their calm, grand looks
and gestures. So, while he still gave splendid
feasts to all who came, and sent them away with
costly gifts, he now received his guests coldly and
haughtily, as if they were hardly worthy to come
into his presence. Travellers, when they got
home again, talked even more about the King's
pride and his boastful speeches, than about his
golden house and his marvellous riches. As for
his own subjects, they never saw him now, except
driving through the city in a glittering chariot
drawn by four white horses, while troops of slaves
ran before him, scattering gold among the crowd,
and crying, " Make way there for the Great King !
Bow down before him, all ye people, and do him
reverence, for he is the Friend of the Gods, and
his glory is more than mortal." Tantalus no
longer sat in the judgment-seat of the kings of
Lydia, to do justice among his people, and if any
man were bold enough to go up to the golden
palace, either the guards would drive him away,
saying that the King did not choose to be
troubled by common folk, or they would push
him roughly into the presence-chamber, where
Tantalus sat enthroned, stiff and silent, like an
idol, in gorgeous array. And the stern, cold
face of the King would so terrify the poor man
that he would not dare to plead for the boon he
came seeking.

1 6 THE GOLDEN PORCH

So the year went by, hut before it ended,
rumours came to Tantalus from foreign lands
that the tales of the travellers about his famous
banquet were disbelieved by many who heard
them. People were saying everywhere that he
had not really feasted the gods at all ; he had
merely built a most wonderful palace, and then,
because his guests were always telling him that
his house and his banquets were fit for the gods,
his head was turned with those flatteries, till he
suffered a strange delusion, and thought he had
given a feast to Zeus himself. Some of the
travellers now asked him to show them some
token of the Immortals' visit, which he was
unable to do, and this made him very angry.
How he wished that he had thought of asking
Zeus to leave some sign of his presence which
no one could doubt ! It was no use, of course,
to point to his courtiers and his slaves, and say,
" All these saw the gods as plainly as I did," for
every one knew what to expect of slaves and
courtiers. If the King, their master, chose to
say he had seen the gods, they would not dare
to contradict him ; nay, if he said he saw them
with two heads apiece, or no heads at all, they
would swear they saw the same. These thoughts
were very unpleasant to Tantalus, and so occupied
his mind that he forgot the time was at hand
when he, in turn, was to feast with Zeus. Indeed,

THK FAVOURITE OF THE GODS 17

although at first he had boasted freely about
going as a guest to the heavenly halls, he had
never felt quite sure that he would ever get there,
and as time went on, he came to think of his
seeing the gods face to face as a wonderful thing
that could never happen again. If only he could
convince these impudent travellers that it ever
had happened ! Now it befell, on the very day
twelvemonth from the coming of the gods, that
ambassadors arrived, with gifts from the king of
a far country, who desired to know the truth of
the report he had heard, that the King of Lydia
had given a feast to the Immortals. Tantalus
received them hospitably, and when evening came,
they sat with him at the banquet, and he told
them the whole story. Perhaps some doubts
about that story had been whispered to them on
their journey, for as the King told the tale, he
noted with displeasure that the newcomers looked
one at another, smiling slily. "Strangers," he
cried haughtily, "do you dare to mock me? Or
do you doubt that my tale is true? '

" Great King," answered the eldest ambassador,
" we are simple men, and we fear that you are
pleased to make sport of us, asking us to take
your royal dreams for truth. But if this be not
so, we are sure that Zeus left with you some
token of his presence at your feast, to be a wit-
ness to all men of the honour done you. We

8

1 8 THE GOLDEN PORCH

humbly desire to see that token, that we may
carry word of it to our master, who will then
believe the wondrous report he has heard."

Tantalus was nearly beside himself with rage
at this request, which he felt quite certain had
been suggested to the ambassadors by some of
those evil-minded persons who had asked him
the same thing before, and gone away scoffing.
But it came into his mind that he would only
make matters worse if he sent these grave am-
bassadors away with an angry answer. They
would spread the story still farther, of his having
no proof at all to show, and very soon, unless he
could somehow put a stop to what people said
about him, he, Tantalus, would become the
laughing-stock of the world. Then quickly he
resolved to gain a little time by hiding his rage
and speaking pleasant words.

" I see," he said, " that the King, your master,
has wise and prudent servants. You are very
right to desire some proof of so great a marvel,
and you shall have it. But it is already late, and
you are wearied with your journey. Go now to
rest, and to-morrow I will show you what you
wish."

The ambassadors bowed deeply, and were led
to the splendid chambers prepared for them.
Tantalus remained sitting in the jewelled hall,
thinking very hard what he was to do. To-

THE FAVOURITE OF THE GODS 19

morrow he meant to put the ambassadors off
again with some further excuse, and to persuade
them to stay with him some days longer ; but
how could he find them a proof, however long
they stayed ? "I would be alone," he said to
the slaves who waited his commands, and they
all withdrew. It was very quiet now in the great
empty room. The king thought and thought,
till nearly midnight, but could find no way out
of his difficulty. Any one else would have called
upon the gods to help him, but Tantalus was so
used to thinking himself all-powerful that this
never entered his head. At last, quite tired out
with puzzling over the question, he leaned back
on his throne and fell asleep. How long he slept
he never knew ; it seemed only a few minutes
had passed when he was awaked by sounds of
music, talking, and laughter. He sat up and
rubbed his eyes in astonishment. There, all
round him, sat the gods, just as he had seen
them a year ago that very night ! For one
moment, he thought they had come back to show
themselves to those unbelieving ambassadors and
cover them with shame, but then he saw that he
was no longer sitting in his own palace-hall. The
place he had awoke in seemed like a vast temple,
with walls and ceiling of some wonderful stone
that shone like pure gold, and yet was transparent
like glass. All round this hall were rows of tall

20 THE GOLDEN PORCH

pillars, and every pillar was a single block of ruby,
sapphire, or emerald, glowing with its own
coloured fire. There were no windows, and no
lamps either in the room, which was flooded with
what Tantalus would have thought was sunshine,
only he supposed it was still night. Then he
knew that this was no earthly palace, but the
dwelling of Zeus, and suddenly he remembered
the promise of the god. This was the night he
was to feast with the Immortals and here he
was ! He wondered if the little Pelops had been
carried to the sky-palace too, and soon saw the
child nodding and smiling at him from the couch
where he sat, as he had done before, between
Poseidon and the Queen of Love. All the
Immortals now welcomed Tantalus with friendly
looks and words of greeting, and one who seemed
the youngest of the goddesses presented him with
a shining cup, into which she poured wine the
colour of dark mountain honey. "Fill all our
cups to the brim, Hebe, my daughter," said
Zeus to the beautiful cup-bearer, " and drink,
every one of you, to this friend of ours, who
played the host to us so well."

"To our host, King Tantalus," cried the
golden-haired Apollo, and the rest, as they drank,
repeated " To King Tantalus," and then all to-
gether cried, " Hail, mortal ! Hail, guest of
Zeus ! Hail, friend of the gods ! "

THE FAVOURITE OF THE GODS 21

Now Tantalus no sooner tasted the drink of
the gods, which men call nectar, than he was
filled with such mirth and gladness as he had
never known, nor any mortal can know, save
those few who are permitted to share the banquet
of Zeus. For nectar is brewed with honey from
celestial flowers and with the juice of apples that
grow in the Enchanted Isles of the Sunset, and
they who drink it have perpetual youth and joy.

So the King forgot in a moment the troubles he
had left behind on earth, and gave himself up to
the delights of the heavenly feast. He thought
he could look for ever at this glorious house of
Zeus, compared to which his golden palace
seemed but a mere hovel. Here topaz and
emerald, and all stones known on earth as pre-
cious, because they are found only in small pieces,
were to be seen in blocks as big as the masses of
marble on his own hillsides. Therefore the gods
wore no jewels, such as earthly kings are adorned
with, and as for silver and gold, though their
houses and furniture seemed to be made of those
metals, they were not the same silver and gold
that there is in this world of ours, but so much
purer and finer that the light shone through them.
So the hall where the Immortals were feasting
looked like a temple built out of moonbeams and
sunbeams, and rainbows, and its sapphire pavement
like a piece of the sky, which is just what it was.

22 THE GOLDEN PORCH

The tables in this hall were covered with every
sort of delicious fruit that grows in all the coun-
tries of the world, for in the garden of Zeus they
are all ripe the whole year round. There were
peaches and grapes, oranges and pomegranates and
strawberries, and many more sorts that Tantalus had
never seen before. The King noticed that none of
the Immortals took any of these fruits from the
baskets of myrtle-twigs in which they were piled,
and that clouds of great butterflies were hovering
over the tables. Now the plates of his neighbours
seemed always full, but his remained empty, and
as no one offered him anything he began to think
the gods were strangely neglecting their guest.

" You do not understand our customs, friend
Tantalus," said the merry voice of Hermes in his
ear. " We offer you nothing, because you have
only to wish, and your plate will be as full as
mine." The King looked at a superb bunch of
grapes which he saw in front of him, but just as
he wished for it, it disappeared. At the same
instant a very large purple butterfly settled on
his plate ; he put out his hand to touch it, and
it was gone, but in its place there lay the bunch
of grapes. Then he wished for an orange, and
the same thing happened, only this time the
butterfly's wings were golden-red.

" I do not understand those butterflies," he
said to Hermes.

THE FAVOURITE OF THE GODS 23

"They are your wishes," said the young god,
" and if you look, you will see the wishes of my
companions bringing them whatever they may
fancy in the same way."

" This is a strange magic," said the King, who
now felt quite at his ease with the friendly
Hermes. " But now I see a number of golden
bees flying about the tables, which I think must
be wishes too, for wherever one alights, it vanishes,
and a round cake the colour of honey appears in
its place. Tell me, Hermes, if these fruits and
those small cakes are all your food, for though
nothing can be more delicious than your fruit,
I should not care, for my part, to live on figs
and grapes and honey-bread."

Hermes, at these words, could not answer for
laughing, but Athena, that grey-eyed goddess
who sat on the King's other side, turned her
grave face to him, and said, " You know not
what you say, O Tantalus ! That honey-bread,
as you call it, is the bread of immortality, which
in the speech of men is called ambrosia, and those
who eat of it live for ever. Rich and great you
may be, King of Lydia, but wise you are not,
or you would know better than to ask if we
Immortals have such food as pleases your gross
mortal appetite. An ox roasted whole, perhaps,
is what you hoped for at my father's table ? "

Tantalus knew that Athena was the wisest of

24 THE GOLDEN PORCH

all the gods, except her father Zeus, and he was
ashamed that she had overheard his thoughtless
words.

" Lady and Queen," he answered, " forgive what
I have spoken in my ignorance. How could I
know that the bread was the divine ambrosia, of
which men tell but know not what it is like ? "

" Come, sister," then said Hermes, still laugh-
ing, "do not be offended with our guest. Re-
member we do not all despise the food of mortals,"
and Zeus himself has eaten porridge in a peasant's
hut. Yes, Tantalus, once I travelled on earth
with Zeus, in the disguise of wandering pedlars,
that we might see who would show kindness to
the poor and homeless. And when we had been
turned away from many a rich man's door, we
found shelter with two poor old cottagers, who
gladly shared their humble supper with us out
of charity. Those worthy old souls, Philemon
and his wife Baucis, were terrified when we showed
ourselves in our true shape next morning, but
they soon had their reward, for Zeus promised
to grant whatever they should ask."

" Then I suppose they asked to be made
King and Queen of that country," said Tantalus,
" though I cannot say I ever heard of a King
Philemon or a Queen Baucis."

"No," replied Hermes, "the only thing they
wanted was never to be parted, or to leave the

THE FAVOURITE OF THE GODS 25

cottage where they had been so happy together.
Zeus promised that they never should, and when
they had ended their lives in peace at the same
moment, they were changed into two oak trees,
which are still flourishing where their cottage

D O

stood."

Tantalus thought to himself, " What a stupid
old couple ! If I had been in their place, I should
have asked Zeus for something very different."
But aloud he only said, " That is a very pretty
story," not wishing to risk another reproof from
the severe Athena.

She, however, seemed ready to make him
amends for speaking so sternly, and, breaking a
cake of ambrosia in her snowy hands, she gave
him half of it, with a gracious look. " You also,
King," she said, "have earned a reward for your
hospitality, and this is it. Unlike Philemon and
Baucis, you already have everything that a man
can wish for on earth, therefore Zeus wills to
give you the one gift you have not, the gift of
immortality."

Tantalus took the piece of ambrosia, and won-
dered to feel how light it was. He tasted it,
and it was like nothing he had ever tasted before,
and it melted in his mouth like snow. Never
had food seemed to him so delicious, yet he could
not tell if it was sweet, or sour, or salt, because
these are the names of earthly flavours, and the

26 THE GOLDEN PORCH

flavour of ambrosia is different from any of them.
Now he saw that Poseidon and Aphrodite gave
the child Pelops fruit to eat and nectar to drink,
but they did not give him ambrosia, and he
wished that Pelops also should eat this bread of
immortality.

" Will not the gods give ambrosia to my son,"
he asked Athena, rather timidly, " that he too
may live for ever ? "

But the wise goddess shook her head. " We
may not give it to a child," she said, "and I
will tell you the reason. When we have once
given a gift, we have no power to take it back
again. So it would be cruel to give the gift of
immortality to any one who was not old enough
to choose whether he will live for ever, or die,
like other men, when his time comes."

" Surely," said the King," " there is no one
who would not choose to live for ever."

" Ah, Tantalus," said Athena, and a strange
look of pity came into her grey eyes, " you think
so now, because you have never known pain or
sorrow. But how would it be if your life were
full of misery instead of happiness ? Think what
it would mean to you then, to know you could
not die. Beware, moreover, that you presume not
to give our gift to others, for that were deadly sin."

These words, which he was to remember when
too late, gave the King a vague feeling of dread,

THE FAVOURITE OF THE GODS 27

as if some unknown evil was about to befall him,
and he was glad that Hebe at this moment filled
his cup with nectar, and Apollo took his lyre
and sang a joyous song.

When this was ended, Zeus called him to his
side, and said : " Now, Tantalus, I, who was your
guest, have given you feast for feast, and since
you gave me your best, I have granted you the
highest reward a mortal can have. Henceforth
you need not fear death, and so long as you
deserve to be the friend of the gods, you shall
drink with us the sacred nectar which continually
renews our youth and gladness."

" And yet, O King of us all," said Hera, with
her scornful smile, " I think that this our guest
desires a certain gift so much that he would
prefer it to nectar and ambrosia."

" Let him name it, Lady of my heart," an-
swered Zeus, " for we will not have him depart
with any desire unsatisfied."

" I can name it," Hera said, tossing her queenly
head. " It is Fame, and were I a mortal, I would
seek it through the world, as all those heroes do
who are my favourites among men."

" That I can well believe," replied Zeus gravely,
" but now let our friend speak for himself. How
say you, Tantalus ? Have you not fame enough
already, being known for the richest and most
hospitable king in all the world ? "

28 THE GOLDEN PORCH

Now the words of Hera had reminded Tantalus
that his fame among men was in danger from the
evil-speaking of the people who would not be-
lieve he had feasted the gods.

" Great Zeus," he said, " I cannot thank you
enough for the wonderful reward you have given
me this night. But since you bid me, I will dare
to confess that there is one thing wanting to make
me entirely happy."

Then he told how the great honour the gods
had done him by coming to his banquet was not
believed by any one, and how that very night the
ambassadors from a far country had asked for a
proof of the story. And he prayed Zeus to grant
him some token, which these men might see and
believe. He heard the god answer, " When you
awake, O Tantalus, you shall find such a token
beside you," and then a rosy mist began to float
before his eyes. He could just see that Hermes
stood beside him, slowly waving his wand, then
his eyes closed, and he knew no more.

CHAPTER III

WHEN King Tantalus awoke, he found himself
once more in his own banqueting-hall, which was
now bright with the morning sunshine. His first
thought was, " I have only dreamed a dream,"

THE FAVOURITE OF THE GODS 29

and he felt bitterly disappointed, for what could
he now say to the ambassadors, and where was
the token he had hoped to show them ? But he
saw on the table beside him a golden cup and
platter, which he thought the slaves must have
set there while he slept, and being hungry and
thirsty, he ate and drank the bread and the wine
that were in them ; and at the first taste, he knew
that the bread was ambrosia, and the wine, nectar.
"Then it was no dream, after all," he said to
himself, "for this is the token Zeus promised.
Yet, what am I to do with it, for Athena warned
me that I must not give the god's gift to any one
else, and if I tell those men that these are ambrosia
and nectar, they will not believe unless they taste
for themselves." So thinking, he lifted the cup
to drink again of that delicious wine, and behold,
the cup was full to the brim, as it was before !
Then he looked at the platter, and saw that the
cake, from which he had broken a piece, was whole
again. Once more he drank, and broke another
piece from the cake, and immediately the cup was
full again, and the cake lay whole in the platter.
Then he rejoiced greatly, for he knew that this
wonder would assuredly overcome all the doubts
of the ambassadors, and of all others who should
see him eat and drink before them out of a cup
and platter that never grew empty.

But now he heard sounds of weeping and

30 THE GOLDEN PORCH

wailing from the inner chambers of the palace,
where the Queen and her children lived, and he
clapped his hands loudly to summon his slaves.
" What is this weeping I hear ? " he asked them,
when they entered, and they told him, " It is the
Queen and her women, O King, weeping because
at dawn they saw that the little prince was gone
from his bed-chamber, and we have searched the
palace from end to end, but he is nowhere to be
found." This they said trembling, for they feared
the King would fall into a rage, and order them
to be put to death if they did not instantly find
the child, and they were astonished when he
answered, without grief or anger, "It is well.
Search no more, for I know what is become of
my son/' Then he went to the Queen's chamber,
and she cried to him, with tears, " Alas, my lord,
what can have befallen our child? I saw him
sleeping safe and sound before I went to rest, and
as I slept, I dreamed that a tall, kingly stranger,
with long black locks, stood at my bedside, hold-
ing the boy in his arms, and they smiled on me,
and were gone. At that I woke, fearing I knew
not what, and ran to the next chamber, and woe
is me, the child's bed was empty."

"Lady wife," said Tantalus, "I know where
Pelops is, and, trust me, no evil can befall him
there. The stranger you saw in your dream was
the great Poseidon, who loves the boy, and has

THE FAVOURITE OF THE GODS 31

taken him to the heavenly halls. Did I not tell
you how I offered our son to the gods when they
feasted with me, and how they promised that he
and I should be their guests ? They have fulfilled
that promise, and now I have seen the palace of
Zeus, I am well content that Pelops should abide
there for a time. Doubt not that he will be re-
stored to us ere long, for I must tell you that the
Immortals have made me their chosen friend and
boon companion, and loaded me with such proofs
of favour that I am certain they will refuse me
nothing I desire."

Now the Queen was a meek and gentle lady,
who held her lord for the most wonderful of
men, and thought it not strange that even the
gods were glad to have him for a friend, but she
loved her little son so dearly that she was only
half comforted to hear where he was, since she
was never happy when he was out of her sight.

But the King did not stay to cheer her, or to
tell her more ; he was in haste to prepare for his
triumph, when the unbelieving ambassadors should
see the token they had asked for. He ordered
that all should be made ready for the mid-day
banquet, and the tables spread as usual with the
choicest fare, but that all the dishes and vessels set
on his own table should be empty ; then, when he
took his seat upon the throne, he placed among
them the cup of nectar and the platter of ambrosia,

32 THE GOLDEN PORCH

and bade the slaves call the ambassadors to the
feast. And this was to Tantalus the proudest
and the happiest moment of his life, for his guests
were even more astonished than he had hoped
when he showed them the food and drink of the
gods, and poured nectar from the celestial cup
into the flagons and goblets on his table till all
were filled, and heaped all the dishes with frag-
ments of the cake of ambrosia, which grew no
smaller, however often he broke it. They cried
out that now indeed they could doubt no longer,
and the King their master should hear, when they
came home, that the gods had not only visited
Tantalus of Lydia, but had bestowed on him the
most marvellous gifts ever given to mortal man.
On the morrow they departed for their own land,
and spread the news upon their way, that Tan-
talus, after all, told a true tale, and could show
the proof of it, for he had a never-failing portion
of the bread and wine of the Immortals.

After this, King Tantalus for some time
thought himself the happiest of men, being no
longer troubled by the doubts or questions of
travellers, who were now welcome to him again
because he enjoyed displaying his wonderful cup
and platter, to satisfy them. He did not forget
Athena's warning, and was careful to keep the
nectar and ambrosia for himself alone, telling all
his guests that he was forbidden to share those

THE FAVOURITE OF THE GODS 33

gifts with any one. Meanwhile, the child Pelops
was seen no more, and strange stories of his
disappearance began to be whispered abroad, but
they did not come to the King's ears, for none
dared repeat them to him. It was even said that
Tantalus, who boasted how he had offered his
son to the gods, and now declared the boy was
dwelling with them above, had really slain him in
secret for a sacrifice, to please the Immortals, and
win from them that reward of nectar and ambrosia.
But this story came from among the lowest of
the folk, who knew not that such a deed, if
Tantalus had ever so much as dreamed of doing
it, would have made him utterly hateful in the
sight of the gods.

Now while the King was happy, the Queen, his
wife, pined day by day for the Joss of Pelops ; she
had one other child, a daughter named Niobe, but
Pelops was far dearer to her because of his loving
ways, and now her only comfort was that she
dreamed of him every night, and always saw him
radiant with joy. The Princess Niobe, who was
some years older than her brother, was a haughty
damsel and cold-hearted, and the gentle Queen
had long feared her daughter's pride would bring
unhappiness upon her. But Tantalus thought
the maiden could not be too proud, being the
daughter of such a king as he, and loved her all
the better for showing a spirit so like his own.

c

34 THE GOLDEN PORCH

The time now came for her to be wedded to the
king of a neighbouring land, and the golden
palace was thronged by countless multitudes from
far and near, who were bidden to the marriage
rejoicings. Guests of every degree were feasted
by thousands for a whole month before the wed-
ding, for the King had sent heralds and messen-
gers a three months' journey east, west, south,
and north proclaiming everywhere that all were
welcome to this great festival. Then, on the
marriage day, having poured forth in abundance
the treasures of his kingdom on all who came,
and filled their eyes with the sight of such royal
splendour as the world never saw before or since,
Tantalus held the crowning feast of all in his hall
of roses ; and in the fulness of his glory, his fate,
the fate his proud heart brought upon him, was
sealed at last. In that hour he felt it was no
longer enough for him to be the greatest king
in the world, and the acknowledged friend and
favourite of the gods ; no, he would be something
greater still : he, though a man, would wield the
power and receive the honours of a god, for he
would bestow on the men around him the greatest
gifts that Zeus himself could give them. He
would make them immortal, and he too would
know what it was to be adored, to have temples
and altars raised to his name by grateful worship-
pers, because he had delivered them from the fear

THE FAVOURITE OF THE GODS 35

of death. And so he would not merely live for
ever, but through all eternity he would enjoy
unheard of fame and glory as the giver of ever-
lasting life to such as pleased him. These
thoughts no sooner flashed through his brain,
than he commanded jars and baskets of gold to
be brought to his table, and began to fill them
with the nectar and ambrosia which stood before
him, saying with a loud voice : " Set this food
and wine of the gods before the bridegroom and
the bride, and before each of the guests, that they
may eat and drink thereof, and live for ever, by
the grace of Tantalus." At these words all the
guests raised a great shout of joy, and bowed
down before his throne, praising and blessing him
for that boon. But even as the slaves poured
out the nectar the light of noonday was blotted
out by so thick a darkness that no man in the
hall could see his hand before his face. A sudden
wind blew deathly cold through the blackness,
and after the wind came a hollow groaning sound
from deep within the earth. Stricken dumb with
terror, all the banqueters sat motionless in the
pitchy gloom for moments that seemed hours, till
that sound came again, louder and deeper, and
they felt the solid ground rock under their feet
and heard a crash as of falling pillars. Then,
with one cry of despair, all at once they started
up, and rushed towards the doorway, groping

36 THE GOLDEN PORCH

blindly to find it, and struggling forward through
the dense, invisible throng around them. None
of that multitude could ever tell how he reached
the courtyard, and fled still onward through the
darkness, not knowing whither, till he found
himself at last on the mountain slopes outside
the palace ; but there, when the darkened sun
shone out again, stood one vast crowd of men,
women, children, animals, trembling but unhurt.
Every living thing the palace held escaped from
the earthquake save only the King himself, who
was nowhere to be seen. As the darkness lifted,
all eyes were turned anxiously towards the Golden
House. Great rents were seen in its shining
walls, and of its hundred towers there were but
ten left standing ; no fountains played now in
the marble courts, and beyond the shattered pillars
of its porch the banqueting hall seemed a mound
of glittering ruins. The Princess Niobe entreated
her newly-wedded lord to go back and seek for
her father, and he would have done so, but at
that moment the earth shook with a yet louder
roar, the crags around tottered, and all that
remained of the palace sank before their eyes
into the mountain. At that sight the whole
multitude fled down the hillsides to the city in
the plain, not daring once to look behind. For
many days clouds hung low on the sides of the
mountain, while all the folk in the city wept and

THE FAVOURITE OF THE GODS 37

prayed and fasted, and many took flight into the
country, fearing lest the hill itself should fall and
overwhelm them. And when the clouds cleared
away, the rocky peak where the Golden House
had stood was seen to be cleft in twain ; and
some who were bold enough at last to climb

O

thither brought back word that between those
two jagged summits lay a deep ravine, covered
with great splintered stones and overhung by
towering precipices. No sign of life, nor trace of
the palace could they see, and it was now plain
to all that Tantalus had perished.

The king who had wedded Niobe then took
her a\vay to his own land, and would have taken
her mother also, but the Queen would not leave
the old palace in the city, where she had lived
more happily than in the Golden House, before
her husband gave way to that sinful pride which
proved his bane. She bade farewell to her daughter
with many tears, and that night, as she entered
her chamber, she said : " I am indeed left deso-
late. Cruel are the gods, for they have destroyed
Tantalus, my lord ; and how do I know what
evil they have wrought to my darling son,
whom they have kept from me so long ? All
else I would bear if only I might see my child
again."

But scarcely had she said this when she gave a
cry of joy, for she saw Pelops lying asleep upon

3 8 THE GOLDEN PORCH

her bed. He awoke and sprang into her arms,
and told her how glad he was to be with her again,
although he had spent such a happy day with
Poseidon, and pelted him with roses in Aphrodite's
garden, which was even lovelier than she had said.
" Last night," he said, " after Poseidon carried
me to the house of Zeus, I saw my father there
at the feast ; but to-day, when I was tired of play,
I asked where he was, and Poseidon said he was
gone back to earth, and I must go back too.
Then he kissed me, and I fell asleep, so I think
he must have brought me home without my
knowing." Then his mother knew that the
months which had gone by since the child was
carried off by the god had passed in heaven as one
day, and she kept silence, fearing to tell him the
strange and terrible end of the King, his father.
And for a while all knowledge of what had be-
fallen was kept from the little prince in spite of
his asking continually where the King was, and
why they were not living in the Golden House.
But at last Zeus showed himself to the Queen in
a dream by night, and bade her tell Pelops all the
story of his father's pride and how he had des-
pised the warning not to give any one else the
gift with which the gods had trusted him. " Had
Tantalus obeyed us," said the heavenly vision,
" we should have kept his son among us till he
was old enough to receive that same gift himself;

THE FAVOURITE OF THE GODS 39

but now it is part of the King's punishment to
know that the child has lost immortality through
his father's sin."

CHAPTER IV

As Pelops grew up to manhood, all said of him
that he was grave and thoughtful beyond his
years, and in truth the story his mother had told
him was ever in his mind, nor could he take
pleasure in the pastimes of his comrades for
thinking of his lost father. No one in the city
would willingly set foot now upon the mountain,
for the people believed that the place where the
Golden House had stood was accursed ground,
and neither hunter nor shepherd ever visited
those hillsides, once so often climbed by the
guests of Tantalus. But Pelops had often said
to the Queen, " My father, who had eaten the
bread of immortality, cannot be dead, and when I
become a man, I will go up the mountain and
look for him in that valley among the cliffs, for
something tells me he is there." And though
his mother besought him not to venture to that
fearful place in the vain hope of finding one
whom the gods had assuredly hidden from them
for ever, the young prince held steadfastly to that
purpose. At last, on a day that he went hunting,

40 THE GOLDEN PORCH

the chase brought him and his companions to the
foot of the mountain, and all the rest turned
back, but he called to them that he would not
lose the hart they followed for an idle fear, and
went on alone. It was noon when he left them,
but the sun was already low in the west when he
stood among the rocks on the mountain top and
gazed with a beating heart into the crag-walled
hollow between the peaks. What was it he saw,
or thought he saw yonder, at the far end of the
ravine ? A great fragment of rock, loosened
from the face of the precipice, seemed toppling
forward as though it must fall in another instant,
and close under it sat a dim, kingly figure, with
upturned face, holding both arms above his head
to ward off the coming blow. Pelops ran for-
ward, shouting to him to rise and fly, or the
rock would crush him to death, and calling him
"Father," for he knew it must be Tantalus,
though he could not clearly see his face across
the valley. But the figure did not stir, and
suddenly the trembling mass above him was still.
Then, hurrying nearer, Pelops could see that it
was indeed Tantalus who sat there, robed and
crowned as of old, and that a golden table stood
beside him, with a shining cup and platter upon
it. The King's form was so worn and wasted
that he was more like a shadow than a living
man, and his son's heart grew chill with fear as

THE FAVOURITE OF THE GODS 41

he looked into his eyes, for they seemed not to
see him, nor did Tantalus give the least sign that
he heard his eager, pleading words. In sorrowful
bewilderment, Pelops saw him snatch up the cup,
which was brimful of honey-coloured wine, and
put it to his lips ; no sooner did it touch them
than the cup was empty, and he set it down with
a despairing sigh. Then he broke a morsel from
the cake that was on the platter, and would
have eaten it, but it vanished in his hand. The
young prince could not bear the sight ; he sprang
towards his father that he might take him in his
arms and bring him away from the dreadful spot,
where he had so long suffered these strange tor-
ments. But instantly a thick white mist from
the heights above rolled down like a curtain
between him and the King, and a voice came
from behind the cloud, " Depart hence, O Pelops,
for you cannot deliver this prisoner of the gods.
As Tantalus has sown, so must he also reap, till
the time is fulfilled."

Slowly and sadly Pelops went out of the glen ;
he turned at the entrance and looked back, and
once more the King was sitting with upturned
face, raising his arms towards the overhanging
rock that trembled as before.

Pelops told no one what he had seen ; but in
after years, when people began to forget their
fear of that mountain, it chanced more than once

42 THE GOLDEN PORCH

that herdsmen on the hill went into the glen of
rocks and were affrighted by the same sight. So
the spot was held in dread for many ages, and
men told that it was haunted by the spectre of
Tantalus, a king, whom the gods had doomed
for his pride to a threefold punishment endless
thirst, endless hunger, and endless terror of a
rock that seemed ever falling, but never fell.
And because Tantalus was for ever tormented
by the vanishing of the nectar and ambrosia when
they touched his lips, people say to this day that a
man is tantalised, when they mean that he sees some-
thing he longs for very near him, and cannot get it.
Now the land of Lydia became hateful to
Pelops, after he learned the fate of his father,
and he resolved to make his home in some other
country, where the sight of that lonely mountain
top, whence he could not deliver the prisoner of
the gods, would grieve his eyes no more. At
this time, travellers from beyond the sea brought
tales of strange doings at a city called Pisa, which
lay in the far land of Greece. The King of Pisa,
they said, had an only child, a maiden of sur-
passing beauty, and many princes sought her in
marriage, but all her suitors had perished miser-
ably for this reason. King Oenomaus, her
father, had promised the maiden to whoever
could outstrip him in a chariot-race, but if he,
the King, could overtake the other chariot, the

THE FAVOURITE OF THE GODS 43

suitor must die by his spear. Thirteen princes,
one after another, had already dared the perilous
race, and always, although Oenomaus gave them
a start of six furlongs, he overtook them with his
peerless horses, and struck them dead with a
well-aimed spear-throw. Pelops no sooner heard
all this, than he said to himself, "That is the
adventure for me," and he took farewell of the
Queen his mother, saying that he desired to seek
his fortune across the sea, where men would not
know him for the son of the hapless Tantalus.
The Queen was willing he should go, for she
had seen that he was restless and unhappy ; but
she said, "Take companions with you, and slaves
of our household, and let a ship be loaded with
treasure, and good store of all things needful,
that you may appear as befits a king's son, in the
land whither you sail."

" Not so, my mother," answered Pelops ; " I
am bound on a certain quest I hear spoken of,
and neither treasure nor following will serve me
to win it. I go alone, but when I come to the
seashore, I am in hopes to find a friend there, who
will give me what help I need."

So Pelops journeyed alone for three days and
three nights, and came to the sea one morning
very early, before the sun was up. There, stand-
ing on the solitary shore, in the faint light of
dawn, he called aloud the name of Poseidon.

44 THE GOLDEN PORCH

Immediately the calm deep was troubled, a long
foam-crested billow came rolling shoreward, and
broke at his feet in clouds of spray, and out of
that wave the tall Poseidon rose up before him.
"Earth-shaking God," said Pelops, " if you have
not forgotten the joy we had once together in
Aphrodite's garden, now grant to me a boon, for
the sake of those pleasant hours."

"Ask what you will," answered Poseidon,
" for I am no forgetful friend."

Then Pelops told his desire to race with the
King of Pisa for the prize of his daughter's hand,
and his fear that he would nowhere be able to
find such fleet horses as the King's. " For I
hear," he said, "that this King Oenomaus has a
wonderful breed of horses from the far North,
and some say he had them in a gift from Ares,
the Lord of War, whom he honours above all
other gods. Now therefore, O Poseidon, send
me quickly over the sea by your divine power,
and give me two coursers swifter than any earthly
steeds, to win me the victory."

Poseidon turned, and struck the water with his
trident ; then he said, " Look seaward, Pelops,"
and the youth beheld two white crests tossing far
out at sea, like the crests of waves plunging
toward the land. But as they neared the shore,
he saw they were the flying manes of two white
horses, which drew a golden chariot without a

THE FAVOURITE OF THE GODS 45

driver, and flew like the wind over the grey
waters, till they halted at his side. At Poseidon's
bidding, he mounted the chariot and took the
reins, and forthwith those immortal horses bore
him so swiftly out to sea, that the shore was
already dim in the distance before he could look
back to speak his thanks to the god. Soon the
speed of his going and the rushing sound of the
waves lulled him into drowsiness, nor did he fully
awake till the golden car stood still, and he found
himself on land once more. The first wayfarer
he met told him that this was the country of
King Oenomaus, and before sunset he came to
Pisa, a little city built upon a hill.

King Oenomaus was glad at the coming of
this handsome stranger, who proclaimed himself
a suitor for the hand of the Princess, for he
made sure of overtaking and slaying him as he
had done the rest. " There is another wooer
come to try his fortune," he told his daughter,
" a king's son, by the look of him, with goodly
white horses, and a chariot gay with gold. To-
morrow you shall ride in it, and see him fall at
your side, like the others. That will be good
sport, and those white horses will be the best of
all my spoil from the fools who have raced with
me." Next morning, the King brought his guest
on foot to a broad and level valley near the city,
and slaves followed them, leading their chariots.

46 THE GOLDEN PORCH

Pelops saw that a tall maiden, wearing the veil
of a bride, stood in his own car and held the
reins. When they came to the place ap-
pointed, Oenomaus said, " It is my custom to
set Hippodameia, my daughter, in the car of
him who races here to win her, that he may
carry off the prize, if he can. Drive forward
now, king's son, for I wait till you have gone
six furlongs, but woe betide you if your horses
are overtaken by those mares of mine, that came
from the stalls of Ares, the War-god."

" Let me first see the face of this maiden,"
said Pelops, " since I have good hope to make
her my bride this day."

"Throw back your veil, girl," said the King,
and he laughed a cruel laugh ; " let your suitor
look on you while he may."

The Princess lifted her veil, and looked Pelops
straight in the eyes ; now her fierce father had
reared her like a young warrior, till she could
rein in the wildest horses, and see blood shed
without flinching, nor had she ever known pity,
but had taken delight in the deaths of those
thirteen strangers who came seeking to carry
her away as a bride. Yet as she looked at this
beautiful youth, she wished, on a sudden, that
she might not see him slain like those others,
and at the strangeness of so wishing, she blushed
and drew down her veil. Then Pelops looked

THE FAVOURITE OF THE GODS 47

well to the harness of the white horses, and took
his stand beside her, and drove them onward
along the valley. They had not passed far
beyond the stone that marked six furlongs from
the starting-place when they heard the King's
chariot thundering behind them, but his won-
drous mares were no match for the steeds of
Poseidon, and soon Oenomaus saw that the race
was lost. With a cry of rage, he leaned forward
and hurled his spear at Pelops ; so mightily he
threw that the spear-point struck the side of the
golden car, and would have pierced it, had it not
been of heavenly metal. But in the doing of
that treacherous deed, the King ended his life
of wickedness ; as he cast the spear with his full
force, he over-balanced himself, and fell head-
long from the chariot and broke his neck.

Thus, by Poseidon's help, Pelops gained a
bride and a kingdom, for he reigned at Pisa in
the stead of Oenomaus. He built the god an
altar in the valley of the chariot-race, and held
a yearly feast there in his honour, with sacrifices
and rejoicings, on the day of the victory. Also
he ordained a race of chariots to be run at the
festival, for prizes of golden vessels and costly
armour, and in the after time the princes of all
lands contended in that race, so glorious was the
fame of it. But never came such horses thither
as the white steeds of Poseidon, which were seen

48 THE GOLDEN PORCH

no more from the day when Pelops died in a
good old age, but vanished out of their stalls
that same hour.

Now as for the Princess Hippodameia, she
mourned but little for her father, whom she
had rather feared than loved, and lived in all
happiness with her wedded lord, forgetting the
wild and warlike life of her youth. The sons
who were born to her became mighty warriors,
who won lands and cities by the sword, and their
children fulfilled the promise of the gods to
Tantalus concerning the glory that should come
upon his house. For these were they who led
a host out of all Greece to that siege of Troy
town, which the poets of ancient ages made
into the finest story in the world.

Here ends this tale ; yet let it be told what
befell when Pelops had sent for the Queen his
mother to dwell with him at Pisa, who, because
he would not return to the land of Lydia, had
given to Niobe the kingdom of their father.
There the daughter of Tantalus reigned and
prospered many years, but, even as he had done,
she provoked the wrath of the Immortals,
through exceeding pride. For she had seven
sons and seven daughters, incomparably beautiful,
and she boasted that she had borne fairer children
than any of the goddesses. This boast was heard
in heaven by the divine mother of Apollo, who

THE FAVOURITE OF THE GODS 49

appeared to Niobe in the guise of an old woman,
and bade her take back her words, lest the Archer-
god and Artemis, his sister, should avenge the
slight offered to their mother Leto. " Away,
prating hag," answered the Queen, " or I will
have you scourged from my doors for this
insolence. Shall Leto, who has but the two
children, be named equal to Niobe, the mother
of twice seven ? "

Forthwith the old woman vanished, and a cry
was heard from the garden where the children
were at play. "The arrows! The arrows! O
mother, save us ! " The Queen flew to the place,
only to see her young sons and daughters fall one
by one at her feet, pierced to the heart by the
arrows of invisible archers. None escaped those
shafts save the youngest of all, a little maid,
whom Niobe shielded in her arms, and she,
who lived to be a woman, was ever after pale
as marble from the terror of that hour.

Now there was a saying in those days that
mortals whom the gods loved, died young, being
delivered from all the toils of life, and the
miseries of feeble age ; moreover, it was counted
a happy fate to die by the swift painless arrows
that Apollo and Artemis shot from their silver
bows. Let no one think, then, that Queen
Niobe's innocent children were punished for their
mother's pride; she, not they, suffered, and even

D

50 THE GOLDEN PORCH

to her the Immortals were not unmerciful. Day
and night she wept by the children's tomb,
refusing to be comforted, till at last the gods
in pity turned her to a rock, in the semblance
of a woman, and her tears to a spring of water
that trickles for ever down its face, and there
it is unto this day.

ri, Florence.

NlOliK SlIIKUMNtl HER D.U't , 1 1 II . I;.

THE PRINCE WHO WAS A SEER

CHAPTER I

HERA, Queen of the gods, had stately shrines
in many cities, but the one she loved best
was her great and ancient temple near the rich
city of Argos. For the folk of Argos honoured
her above all the gods, with sacrifices and solemn
feasts, as Lady of the land, and men called them
the people of Hera. Now there was once a king
in Argos who had three daughters, and they were
the proudest princesses ever seen. Every year in
the spring time all the maidens of the land, crowned
with flowers and decked in their best array, went
in procession to Hera's temple to offer her gifts
and garlands and a veil broidered with lilies, in
remembrance of her bridal with King Zeus.
Then the priestess would cover the image of
the goddess with the shining veil, and crown it
with a wreath of scarlet pomegranate blossom,
and it was borne in state to the city on a car
drawn by white oxen, while all the people came
forth to meet it with great rejoicing, and choirs
of youths and maidens chanted wedding hymns
in honour of Hera the Bride. The three

52 THE GOLDEN PORCH

daughters of the King went every year to the
temple with the other maidens, but in their
pride of heart they could not endure to see the
splendid pomp of that procession, and hear the
praises of the goddess, while they themselves
walked unnoticed in the throng ; and they said
one to another, " Are not we as fair and as royal
as this Bride of Zeus ? Nay, who knows if
Hera's beauty be so great, after all, for who
has seen her ? But if that ancient image is
her true likeness, the gods have an ugly queen
indeed." So at last they would not go to the
temple on the festival day, but sat at home, and
when the image was borne past the palace they
looked down from a window and mocked it
aloud, saying, " What ancient dame have you
there, good people ? Since when do grand-
mothers masquerade as brides ? " The people
trembled at these impious words, and the
priestess cried aloud to the King to rebuke his
daughters, but he laughed and answered heed-
lessly, "Let Hera rebuke them if their words
displease her." Then said the priestess, " Both
you and they, O King, shall learn that it is no
light thing to insult our divine Lady." With
that she bade the drivers of the oxen turn them
back to the temple, and the people went in
silence to their homes.

That very night Hera sent a frenzy upon the

THE PRINCE WHO WAS A SEER 53

three princesses, and they rushed in madness out
of the city and roamed with strange cries among
the fields. Their father went in search of them
with the first light, but they knew him not, and
fled away, shrieking, to the hills above the city.
There they wandered for many days, and none
could come near them, for when any approached,
they bounded away like things possessed, and
swifter than flying deer. Then the King in his
despair sent messengers everywhere to offer great
rewards to whoever would heal his daughters of
their madness, and there came to him a seer out
of the West country, whose name was Melampus.
He was the son of a king, and he became a seer
in this way. One day that he hunted in the
woods he lay down to rest, being wearied, and
fell asleep, and while he slept two young snakes
crept out from their hole and licked his eyes and
ears with their soft, forked tongues. Melampus
awoke, and heard one snake say to the other,
" This is the man who spared our lives when his
servants found our nest last spring and slew our
mother." With that they glided away, and then,
lying still in deep amaze, he heard the birds also
talking together, and understood all they said.
Thus he became a seer, and a great physician as
well, for his eyes were opened to see visions, and
his ears to hear all that the wild creatures tell
each other about the healing virtues of herbs and

54 THE GOLDEN PORCH

flowers and springs of water. Melampus told
the King of Argos that he would heal his daugh-
ters for a price, but when the King asked what it
was, he answered, " The half of your kingdom."
This the King would not grant, and he sent him
away. But soon the same madness came also
upon the women of the land, so that they too
fled out of their homes and wandered distracted
about the hills. Then the people, who had
heard what the seer had demanded, earnestly
besought the King to send after Melampus, and
give him anything he asked to take away this
plague from them. So Melampus was brought
back, and the King offered him half the kingdom.
But now the seer said that he would do nothing
unless the King would give him two-thirds of the
land. Even this the King was constrained to
grant, lest the people should rise against him if
he did not find means to rid them of the wrath
of Hera, which his daughters had brought upon
their wives and children. And the seer took men
with him to the hills, and made them drive the
herd of women gently before them towards a
certain stream, and as they passed through its
waters in flight from their pursuers they were
healed of their madness, the three princesses
with the rest. Thus Melampus became king
over two-thirds of the land of Argos ; one-third
he kept himself, and gave one-third to Bias, his

THE PRINCE WHO WAS A SEER 55

brother. But the three proud princesses, because
they had despised Hera the Bride, never became
brides themselves, and their father likewise came
to no good end, because he had laughed instead
of reproving them.

Melampus and Bias loved each other well,
and reigned in peace for many years, but after
their death their sons and grandsons began to be
at feud about the kingdom, each desiring to
make himself lord of all Argos. At last, when
the Prince Adrastus, grandson of Bias, reigned
in his father's stead, he took to himself the in-
heritance of the grandson of Melampus, who was
yet a child, pretending that he would hold it in
trust for his young kinsman. Also he took the
child away from the servants who had the care of
him (for his father and mother were dead), and
brought him up in his own palace, and forbade
his own servants on pain of death to let him
learn that he was a king's son. So this little
prince, who was called Amphiaraus, grew up in
the house of Adrastus, and none dared tell him
that he had a right to half the kingdom. He
had for playmate a beautiful little girl, Eriphyle
by name, who was the younger sister of Adrastus,
and he came to love her very dearly, in spite of
one great fault that she had she was the most
covetous little maiden that ever lived. She could
not see her playfellow with a flower, or a fruit, or

5 6 THE GOLDEN PORCH

a toy, without wanting to have it, and very often
she got it, for she could coax very prettily, and if
that did not do, the tears would come into her
sweet dark eyes, and her rosebud of a mouth
would quiver so piteously that he somehow felt
himself a cruel little wretch, and begged her to
take it. As she grew older her one delight was
in jewels and golden trinkets, and though King
Adrastus was for ever giving her such things, she
could never have enough, but hoarded them
away, and began to think of how she could get
more. Sometimes she would pretend that she
had lost a ring or a bracelet, and fret over it for
days, till she was promised another like it, and
then, when the new one was made, she would say
that the gold was not so fine, or the gems not so
large, as the old. Then the King, who doated
on his young sister, would make her amends with
some other costly gift besides, so that her hoard
of treasures grew from day to day. But at last
she did really lose one of her jewels ; it was an
earring curiously wrought, and hung with a
pear-shaped pearl, and there were no such ear-
rings in all the land of Greece as this and its
fellow, which a trader from across the sea had
brought to Argos out of the East. Therefore
the Princess Eriphyle could not be comforted
with any gift for the loss of it, and great search
was made in all the house, and in the King's

THE PRINCE WHO WAS A SEER 57

orchard and garden, but it could not be found.
Amphiaraus searched with the rest, and could
not bear to see the grief of the pretty princess.
He sought to comfort her as best he could, and
entreated her not to grieve, saying, " The earring
will surely be found some day, and meanwhile
have you not hundreds of other jewels ? Do
not vex yourself, Eriphyle, and spoil your dear
eyes with weeping, or you will break my heart."

" Oh," she cried, " what a false boy this is !
He would have me think he loves me, when
he will not do the least little thing for my sake."

" I know not what you mean," he answered,
bewildered. " What is there I would not do to
please you ? "

" If you loved me truly," she said, "you would
never rest day or night till you brought me my
earring, my lovely pearl earring that I prize so
dearly, or else the match of it."

" One of those things I will do," said Amphi-
araus, " and I will see your face no more till I
have done it." And he went out of the chamber
where she sat crying and scolding her women.
But when he had once more searched high and
low in vain, he said to himself that since he
certainly could never find that earring, the thing
he must do was to find another like it somewhere
in the world. He waited till nightfall, lest any
one should see and hinder his going ; then he

58 THE GOLDEN PORCH

took a cloak and a staff and put on sandals, and
stole out of the King's house, and out of the
city gate from which the road led to the nearest
harbour-town. For he thought that there he
might find some ship bound for the lands of the
East, where only in the world craftsmen made
earrings like the Princess Eriphyle's. It was a
summer's night, and the clear heaven shone thick
with stars, like bright kind eyes looking down
upon his lonely way. About a league from the
city, the road was bordered on one side by a
wood of olives, and the young prince turned aside
to rest there till morning light. He saw among
the trees what seemed the pillared porch of a
house, and went towards it, to seek a lodging for
the night, but coming nearer, he saw that it was
a roofless shrine, empty and half in ruins. Only
a low stone altar, such as men built upon the
graves of the dead, was to be seen within,
lichen-stained, and mantled over by a wild vine.
Amphiaraus rolled his cloak together for a pillow
and propped it against the altar, and laid him
down to sleep. Now as he slept, he dreamed a
dream ; he thought that a large, bright-eyed
snake came out of the altar and coiled itself
round him, and that it licked his eyes and his
ears with its soft, forked tongue. This terrified
him so, that he awoke, and then, as it seemed to
him that voices were talking close at hand, he

THE PRINCE WHO WAS A SEER 59

raised himself very quietly on one elbow, listen-
ing, and looking about him. It was still night,
but the stars gave light enough in the roofless
chamber to see two little brown owls perched side
by side on the broken cornice. The low talking
went on, till suddenly one of the voices quite
softly, but quite distinctly hooted. Then the
prince looked at the owls again, and saw that
they were the speakers, and he listened with all
his might, pretending to be asleep.

"What youth is that," said one, "and why has
he come to sleep on the grave of Melampus ? "

" Little wife," answered the other, " he is called
Amphiaraus, and he is the grandson of Melampus,
and rightful king of half this land."

" How comes that ? " said the lady owl. " Is
not Adrastus rightful king of all Argos, seeing
that he is descended from the elder brother of
Melampus ? "

" It is a long story," replied her mate, " but
you shall hear it if you like." And he told her
the tale of the three proud princesses, and how
Melampus gained two-thirds of the kingdom and
gave an equal share to Bias, his brother. " So
you see," he said, "that King Adrastus is no
better than a usurper, although he belongs to the
elder branch of that family. He has brought up
this youth in ignorance of his rights, and taught
him to suppose that his grandfather Melampus

60 THE GOLDEN PORCH

held only the rank of a younger brother to the
King from whom Adrastus himself inherits the
whole land. Covetousness, my little wife, is
the root of strange evils among men, and it is
well seen in this greedy King and his greedier
sister, Eriphyle. Like brother, like sister ; because
she has lost a gewgaw that you and I would not
give a mouse for, she has sent this lad who loves
her to the world's end to look for its like."

" How wise you are," said the lady owl. " It
does a bird's heart good to listen to you. But
tell me, will Amphiaraus find her jewel for the
princess ? It seems a pity such a handsome young
prince should go wandering about the world like
a beggar."

" He need not wander far if he knew where
to look," said the other owl. " The princess
dropped her earring when she was swinging in the
orchard, and a magpie, who spied it in the grass,
picked it up and flew off with it. That magpie
happens to have built a nest at the top of the
sycamore which you see yonder, at the end of
this olive grove, and she has put the earring into
it, by way of ornament. For my part, I always
think that the magpies do not understand the true
principles of house-building. The Beautiful is all
very well, but when it comes to plastering one's walls
with hard shiny things such as earrings, instead of
with down, I, for one, consider it a mistake."

THE PRINCE WHO WAS A SEER 61

"My dear husband," said the lady owl, "how
happy it makes me to hear you discourse. I believe
you are the very wisest owl that ever hooted."

Upon this, her mate gave a hoot which sounded
something like a pleased laugh, and both the
little owls flew away. Amphiaraus sat till sunrise
beside the altar, pondering on what he had heard.
He understood, now, that his dream was a true
vision ; he had heard how Melampus became a
seer, and it was plain to him that the snake out
of the grave was the spirit of the dead King,
which had come forth in that shape to bestow
his own strange powers upon his grandson. He
had heard too that Melampus, when his end was
near, desired that he might not be buried among
the royal tombs of Argos, but rest under the open
sky and among the woods which he had loved
to haunt. Here, then, they had buried him,
and built an altar and an unroofed shrine, but
none had brought offerings to the tomb, nor
repaired the crumbling walls, for many years,
through fear of Adrastus, and of his father
before him, who had threatened to punish any
that showed honour to the memory of Melampus.
Amphiaraus scarcely believed the owl had told
a true tale about the King, his kinsman, who
had always treated him with kindness, and he
felt sure that he had spoken very unjustly
against Eriphyle. " But I will soon see," he

62 THE GOLDEN PORCH

thought, " if the bird was right about the magpie
and the earring." So he climbed the sycamore,
and there indeed was the jewel in the magpie's
nest.

The princess was overjoyed when he brought
it to her, and her pleasure was pretty to see, but
he noticed rather sadly that, while she eagerly
fingered the precious earring again and again to see
that it had received no injury, she only asked him
carelessly where he had found it, and quite forgot
to thank him. For the first time Amphiaraus
felt that he had a secret which she must not
share ; he told her he had found her jewel in a
tree, where perhaps some thievish bird had carried
it. "Very likely," she said, turning away, "but
no matter where it was, since I have it again."
And she went from him, smiling, to lay it up
with her other treasures.

From that day the young prince was greatly
changed ; he grew silent and thoughtful, and
wandered much alone among the woods and hills,
with only his two hounds for company. King
Adrastus supposed that he went hunting, and
was wont to banter him pleasantly on his poor
success, for it was seldom that he brought home
any game. But Amphiaraus for the most part
was not hunting ; he was listening to the new
language that his ears were opened to understand,
and learning wisdom of beast and bird. Now, too,

THE PRINCE WHO WAS A SEER 63

he could talk to his dogs, and the pleasure this
was to them made amends for their disappointment
when their master would not let them chase a
doe or hare. So passed the summer, but when
winter came, with its cold and rain, he went more
seldom into the woodlands, and began to be seen
more often in the market-place of the city, where,
under long pillared porticoes of the temples around
it, the folk of Argos gathered for buying and
selling, and the old men would sit and talk.
Amphiaraus went much among the people, who
loved the young prince for his courteous speech
and comely looks ; he listened with respect to the
talk of the old citizens, and they, who remembered
his wise grandfather, and secretly hated King
Adrastus, began to say among themselves that
the wisdom of the good Melampus had come
down to this noble youth, so shamefully kept
from his inheritance.

And little by little they cautiously dropped
hints in his hearing, which he, who knew so much
more than they thought, was quick to understand
and to show that he understood, till at length
they saw that he knew the whole story, though
they could not guess by what means he learnt
it. Now, Adrastus ruled the people hardly, for
he was not less greedy of gain than the little owl
had said, and he oppressed the folk with more
and more tolls and taxes, so that he became

64 THE GOLDEN PORCH

hateful to them. Also he took bribes and
presents from those who came to plead their
causes before him, and gave judgments for the
rich against the poor, who had nothing to give
him. These things bred much discontent in
Argos, and whispers went abroad that some end
should be made to this wrong-doing. There
came a day at last when word went through the
city of yet another tax to be laid upon the people,
more grievous than any before, and at that a cry
arose : " We will not longer endure this folk-
devouring King ! To arms, friends, and let us
fall upon Adrastus and his guards in the palace.
Better be slain with the sword than pay his dues
of our corn and wine and oil till we perish with
hunger." Then the elders of the city answered
the people : " Well said, yet bethink you what
you will do. Was it ever heard or known that
any but a king could stand up against a king ?
Who shall lead you against Adrastus, and who
will rule you and fight your battles in his stead ? "
Then, even as they hoped, the people cried,
" The grandson of Melampus shall be our leader.
Amphiaraus shall be king over us, and we will
cast out the usurper who holds his land." So
the whole city rose up in revolt, with shouting
and clashing of arms, and marched upon the
palace. Adrastus was a brave warrior, but he
and his guards were taken by surprise, so suddenly

THE PRINCE WHO WAS A SEER 65

the multitude broke in upon them, crying,
"Amphiaraus shall he King! Away with the
usurper ! ' Now while Adrastus and his men
ran to the armoury to get their weapons, Amphi-
araus stood still, amazed by the cry he heard, and
the people thronged round him with loud shouts
of, " Hail, King of Argos ! " till the hall rang
again. " Alas, friends," he cried to them, " what
means this tumult ? Can I take arms with you
against Adrastus, my kinsman, my kind master
since I was a child ? I pray you, if you love me,
put up your swords, and hear me, while I speak to
the King." Then, as the inner doors were flung
open and Adrastus was seen standing armed at the
head of his men, the young prince turned to him
and said, " I had no part in this, O King, nor knew
what the folk purposed, but now, lest worse come
of it, suffer me to speak their request and mine."
" Say on," said Adrastus. " The people would
make me King," said Amphiaraus, " because the
burden of tolls and taxes is more than they can
bear, and because they know that I have the right
to half the land you hold. Now it is best that
there should be but one King in Argos, and you,
my kinsman, must be that King, for I will never
repay your kindness by disloyalty. I seek not
to be King of half Argos, as were my father and
my grandfather ; I ask only to possess their share
of the land, and to hold it under you as my liege

66 THE GOLDEN PORCH

lord. But for the people I ask that they may
have equal justice done to rich and poor, as it
was done by our fathers, and pay no greater taxes
than our fathers required of them. Consider well,
Adrastus, what you will do, for these men are
many and desperate, and who knows what shall
be the end if once swords are drawn ? "

The King was silent for a space, for he doubted
what were best to do ; then he said : " I need
time to answer such a request as this, and the day
is far spent. Let the folk abide here, if they will,
all night, to make sure I shall not bar the palace
doors against them, and in the morning I will
answer them and you." So the people remained
in the King's hall and in the courtyard, and his
servants brought them food and wine at nightfall,
and they kept watch by companies all night.
But Adrastus and his guards withdrew to the
inner chambers of the palace, and there he gathered
all his treasure together, and loaded his men there-
with, and bade Eriphyle put all her jewels in
bundles for her handmaids to carry, and led her,
with all their train, through a secret passage from
his underground treasure chamber to the fields
beyond the palace garden. They could not take
horses from the stables, for they were near the
courtyard, and the noise of hoofs and wheels
would have betrayed them, but stole away on
foot through the darkness till they came to a

THE PRINCE WHO WAS A SEER 67

farm of the King's, where some of his mules were
kept, and these were harnessed to country carts
for the princess and her women. Thence with
all speed Adrastus and his company passed over
the border of Argos and came as fugitives to the
friendly city of Sicyon.

When it was found in the morning that the
King had fled, some were for pursuing him, but
the old men said : " Let him alone, he has done
wisely. For he knew he had made such enemies
of the people that he could never dwell safely in
Argos, so long as they saw Amphiaraus among
them, whom all desire for their king. The gods
have blessed yesterday's work with a good ending."
And since Adrastus had chosen flight rather than
do the justice asked of him, Amphiaraus was
willing to rule in his stead over the people, and
he ruled them wisely and well. Yet his heart
was full of sadness at the thought of Eriphyle,
driven from the home where now he lived in
lonely state, to dwell among strangers ; and when
he heard that her brother had made his abode
in Sicyon, he sent messengers again and again
with letters, praying to be reconciled to his kins-
man and offering to bring him back as King on
the former conditions. Adrastus for a long while
returned no answer ; he had gathered a power in
Sicyon with the help of his treasure, and was
become master of the city, so that he meant ere

68 THE GOLDEN PORCH

long to come against Argos with an army and
win back his throne by force. When two years
were gone by, Amphiaraus could no longer endure
his longing to see Eriphyle again ; he put on the
disguise of a merchant, and went secretly to Sicyon
with one faithful servant, and sought admission
to the princess, saying that he had jewels to sell.
Eriphyle received him in the chamber where she
sat spinning with her maidens, and when she
asked him the price of the jewels he showed her,
" They are yours without a price, fair princess," he
said, " if I may speak with you alone." At that,
she sent the maidens out of the chamber, and
forthwith he made himself known to her, and
told her that he could have no joy of his kingdom
because of his loneliness without her. Now the
princess was weary of dwelling in a strange city, and
she thought, " Jf I were wedded to Amphiaraus,
for love of me he would do my brother's will in
all things. Why should not Adrastus promise all
he asks, and leave the rest to me ? '' So she smiled
sweetly upon him, and with subtle words made
him believe that Adrastus was even then about
to send a letter to him, consenting to return.
And after private speech with her brother, she
brought him to Amphiaraus, and they embraced
as friends. Adrastus of his own accord declared
that he would come back to Argos and do all that
was required of him : " You," he said, " shall

THE PRINCE WHO WAS A SEER 69

possess your own land, and dwell with me in all
honour, as second in the kingdom. Only, that
we may live together like brothers, I desire to
give you my sister for wife, making this compact
with you, that should we ever differ on any
matter, she shall decide between us."

Now Amphiaraus was wise with the wisdom of
the beasts and birds, who know things hidden
from men, and can read the signs of what shall
be before it comes ; but he had no skill in the
crafty ways of man. He believed that Adrastus
and his sister loved him as truly as he loved them,
and he received the hand of the princess with the
deepest joy. Yet after their wedding in Sicyon,
as they all journeyed homewards together, he saw
many sights that boded misfortune, and chilled
his heart with fear of evil to come. They had
not gone far when a hare ran across the road
before them ; presently they saw a single magpie
by the wayside, and every bird that flew over their
heads was flying widdershins. And as they came
near the gates of Argos, a raven rose on flapping
wings from a thunder-blasted tree, and uttered
one harsh croak. Amphiaraus alone could hear
the word in that croak, and the word was " Death.''
So it was with a heavy heart that he came home
again, although he brought with him the bride
he had long desired, and the kinsman he had
striven to restore to his throne.

70 THE GOLDEN PORCH

CHAPTER II

YEARS came and went, and still all was well with
the princes and the folk of Argos. Adrastus
soon learnt that Amphiaraus was a seer, and that
whatever he foretold most surely came to pass,
and he took his counsel in all things, so that the
people marvelled because the King now ruled
them mildly and justly. And the land had
peace, for no enemy could plot anything against
Adrastus that the birds did not bring warning of
to Amphiaraus. Meanwhile children were born
both to Eriphyle and to the wife whom the King
had taken in Sicyon. Now when the daughters of
the King were maidens grown, he was troubled
by a strange dream concerning them, and told it
to Amphiaraus. " I dreamed," he said, " that a
lion and a bear came to Argos, and were married
to my daughters. What means this?''

" To-morrow, at this time," answered the seer,
" go out of the north gate of the city, and you
will see that lion and that bear. Bring them to
your palace, and marry them to your daughters,
for the gods will have it so."

Adrastus went out of the city gate on the
morrow, and saw two young men coming towards
him richly armed, after the fashion of king's sons

THE PRINCE WHO WAS A SEER 71

and each had a painted shield. Now the shield
of one was emblazoned with the figure of a lion,
and that of the other with the figure of a bear.
The King saluted them, and asked them who
they were and whence they came. " I am called
Tydeus," answered he with the lion-shield ; " I
have fled from the house of my father, who is
king in the far north country, because I have
slain a kinsman by mischance." Then he whose
device was the bear, said : " Polyneices is my
name, and I come from the city of Thebes. The
curse of blood is come upon the king my father,
and he is an outcast from the land. Now my
brother and I agreed together to rule in Thebes
by turns, each for a year ; but when the first year
was over, my brother would not give up the
kingdom, and he has driven me forth, a banished
man." So Adrastus knew that these princes were
sent to him by the gods, to become his sons-in-
law, according to his dream, and he bade them
welcome and lodged them in the palace, and
having persuaded them to abide in Argos, he gave
them his daughters in marriage.

But the king's son of Thebes could not rest for
the hatred he had to his brother, and he thought
day and night upon revenge. Ere long he began
to work upon Adrastus with promises and en-
treaties to gather a host together and make war
on Thebes, telling him what great and goodly

72 THE GOLDEN PORCH

spoils should be his share when the city was
taken. The King was easily moved by the hope
of gain to undertake such a war ; he called his
kinsmen and his captains together, and declared
his mind to them. Now the rest were willing
enough to follow him forth to battle, but they
waited to hear what counsel Amphiaraus would
give. Then slowly uprose the seer, and spoke a
warning in solemn tones : " Fight not in this
young man's quarrel, Adrastus, lest you bring on
us and on our children the curse that rests upon
his house. For three generations the wrath of
the gods has not ceased from the royal race of
Thebes, nor will it pass from them till Polyneices
perish by the sword, ay, and his brother also.
Hear now the tale of how it came. Laius the
king, for a wickedness that he did in secret, was
nated of the Heavenly Ones, and they laid this
doom on him, that his own son should slay him,
and pronounced it by the mouth of the priestess
in the holy place of Delphi. Therefore, Laius,
when his first child was born, had him cast out
upon a wild and barren mountain, there to die or
to be devoured by beasts of prey. But the herds-
man of a neighbour king found the babe, and
brought him to their lord's wife, who had no
children, and she reared him as her son. It fell
on a day, when he was grown a man, that he
drove in a chariot over a saddle of the hills, and

THE PRINCE WHO WAS A SEER 73

there met him another chariot and a troop of
slaves running on foot. Now the two chariots
could not pass in the narrow road, and the ser-
vants of the man in the chariot cried roughly to
the son of Laius to make way, and seized his
horses' bridles to turn them off the road on to
the hillside, and he, in anger, urged his horses
forward till he was close to the other charioteer,
who leaned forward and struck him in the face
with his whip. At that the son of Laius drew
his sword, and stabbed that stranger to the heart,
and he fell down dead in the chariot. The youth
had but one servant with him, and the slaves
were many ; but they scattered in terror when
they saw their lord was slain, and he dragged the
dead man's chariot aside and went his way, not
knowing the thing that he had done. For that
man was Laius the king. After this the land of
Thebes was ravaged by a strange and cruel mon-
ster, who preyed on youths and maidens, till the
dead king's kinsmen let proclaim everywhere that
whoever should slay the monster should take the
kingdom for his reward. Many bards have sung,
and often have we heard in Argos, how a stranger
youth made an end of that fell creature which
men called the Sphinx, and became king in Thebes;
that tale were too long to tell.

" But the blood he had shed in wrath was avenged
at last upon that stranger youth, for he was the

74 THE GOLDEN PORCH

son of Laius, and after many years a chance re-
vealed to him the name of his true father, and
who it was he slew on the mountain road. Then
it was that in agony of soul he made known the
truth to his sons, to this Polyneices and his
brother, and bade them take the kingdom that
he might go on pilgrimage to holy places, seek-
ing to wash away his guilt. Ah, hard-hearted
prince, little pity did you or your brother show
to your aged father in his evil hour. You it
was, his own children, who drove him from the
land, a feeble, blind old man, to beg his bread
among strangers, and on you, when you thrust
him forth, did he call down a father's curse.
Beware, I say, Adrastus, how you draw the sword
for Polyneices. Too surely, when he marches
against Thebes, will he march to the doom pre-
* pared." When Amphiaraus had thus spoken,
he went out from among them. Polyneices
trembled at the words of the seer, for they
brought to his mind the prayer his father uttered
at his going forth from the gate of Thebes :
" O Sun, O Earth, behold the wrongs I suffer from
these my children. Hear, Zeus on high, hear, gods
of the under-world, the prayer of Oedipus the outcast,
who once was Oedipus the King. As these sons of
mine have thrust me out unpitied in mine age, so let
them fall unpitied in their youth : as they have hated
me for a crime that 1 did unwittingly, so may they

THE PRINCE WHO WAS A SEER 75

hate each other, till their hate leads them to a crime
that they shall do with open eyes"

Yet his heart was so bent upon revenge, that
no warning could turn him from his purpose;
he was ready to brave destruction, if only he
might destroy Eteocles his brother before it over-
whelmed him. Therefore he pleaded earnestly
with Adrastus, and his pleading prevailed against
the warning of Amphiaraus, for the King said,
" Be the rest as it may, Polyneices has had much
wrong from his brother, and I am minded to
help him to his right." Then Tydeus, his other
son-in-law, who was a mighty warrior, said, " I,
too, am fain to do battle for him, and there are
many princes and chiefs, our neighbours, who
will gladly march with us to Thebes, to win
themselves renown of valour. But some means
must be found to make Amphiaraus one of us,
for his name is great in all the land both as a
warrior and a prophet, and neither princes nor
people will fight with good hope, unless he go
with our host."

" Leave that to me," said Adrastus, " for
I know a way to turn him to what I will."
And he broke up their council, and sent word
to Eriphyle that he desired speech with her.

Now Eriphyle had lived so long with Amphi-
araus that his tender goodness had brought love
out of that selfish heart of hers, as the gentle

76 THE GOLDEN PORCH

rain brings flowers out of a parched garden-soil.
So when she came to her brother, and he told
her that the time was come for her to decide
a matter between him and her husband, accord-
ing to the marriage-compact, she said to him :
" You are very dear to me, my brother, but my
lord and husband is dearer still. What seems
good to him I also will uphold, though I am
loth to gainsay you." And she went back to
her house without more words spoken, and told
Amphiaraus what had passed. The seer pressed
her hand in silence, and she said, " Do you know,
my lord, what this matter is, that Adrastus would
have had me take his part in, and so have com-
pelled your consent ? "

Then he told the King's desire to war with
Thebes, and said with a sigh, " I should have
known that Adrastus would not heed my warn-
ing when there is hope of golden spoils to be
won, but I little thought he would seek this way
to force me to fight in his host. That is what
he meant you to do, my wife, to bid me march
with him to Thebes, and by my marriage oath
I am bound to yield to his will, whenever you
shall so decide. Now I will tell you a thing
that I told not to Adrastus, for little would
it have hindered his going. I, if I go to Thebes,
shall return no more, but meet my doom there."

Ill-pleased was King Adrastus that his sister

THE PRINCE WHO WAS A SEER 77

would not so much as hear the thing he desired
her help in against Amphiaraus, and he railed
upon her to Polyneices, saying, " Who shall read
a woman ? This sister of mine that once loved
nothing but gold and jewels, as well becomes
a king's daughter, prates to me now of love
for the man whom she took for her lord only
that she might come back to Argos and make
him a tool in my hands. For Amphiaraus and
I took an oath together to abide by her judgment
when we came to variance, and now if she would
say the word, he must come with us to Thebes,
whether he will or no."

"Do you tell me that?' said Polyneices;
" then let me deal with your sister." Now he said
to himself that as he had won the brother with a
bribe of wealth, so he would win the sister, now he
knew that she loved jewels. For he had brought
with him to Argos a rarer treasure than could
be found in the caskets of all the queens on
earth. It was a necklace of strange device and
cunning workmanship ; from a narrow band of
beaten gold, two rows of pendants hung by
chains of pearls, and in the upper row each
pendant was a golden dove, with outspread
wings and ruby eyes, but in the lower, each
pendant was a golden hand, clasping an apple,
and every apple was a topaz or an emerald.
This, long ago, was a marriage gift of the

78 THE GOLDEN PORCH

goddess Aphrodite to her fair child Harmonia,
whom the gods gave for bride to the first King
of Thebes, and all the queens of his house had
worn it, till the mother of Polyneices bestowed
it on her favourite son. With this, he thought,
he could tempt Eriphyle to betray her husband,
however much she loved him. And he was
right ; the princess at first refused to listen, when
his wife, her kinswoman, brought her his message
and showed her the wondrous necklace, but he
sent again and again, till at last desire of the
precious thing so consumed Eriphyle, that she
took it, with promise to give her voice for war
with Thebes.

Then Polyneices hastened to the King, and
once more the princes of the land were sum-
moned to council. Adrastus said that he was
resolved to march at once upon the city, and
when Amphiaraus told him sadly, " This once,
I cannot go with you to battle," he answered,
"That shall Eriphyle decide, even as you and
I made compact long ago. Let her be called,
and give judgment between us."

Pale as death, with downcast eyes, the traitress
came into the hall ; her brother, in few words,
told her why she was sent for, and asked, " How
say you, my sister ? Shall Amphiaraus go with
me to Thebes, or shall he forbear?' And with
eyes still fixed upon the ground, she said in a

THE PRINCE WHO WAS A SEER 79

low voice, " He shall go with you." Then she
turned quickly, and went out of that assemblage
with the handmaids who followed her.

" You have heard, Amphiaraus," said the King,
with a smile of triumph, " and you know now
that to Thebes you must go."

" I have heard my doom," said the seer, " and
not mine only. For I say to you, princes of
Argos, that of seven champions who will lead
our host against yonder city, not one shall return
alive, save one, and he in flight from a lost
battle." So saying, he went also to his house.

Before many days, a gallant army set forth
at break of day from the gates of Argos, in
seven companies, headed by as many princes in
panoply of war. Each chief, but one, had some
device blazoned on his shield which he had
chosen to express his purpose and his hopes in
going forth. First came the brave Tydeus, whose
shield, the colour of the midnight sky, was thick
sown with silver stars, with a full orbed moon
in the midst, for he said, " As many stars as
shine around this moon, so many souls will I
send to throng the palace of Death's Queen, who
is the moon of the Nether World." Next came
Capaneus, of that former royal house of Argos,
whose last king fell by the wrath of Hera ; his
emblem was a naked man with a blazing torch,
and over him written, 'i WILL FIRE THE CITY.'

8o THE GOLDEN PORCH

The third and the fourth leaders were warlike
princes, neighbours to Adrastus, who had for
their devices, the one that earth-born giant
Typhon, half-man, half-snake, with flames issu-
ing from his mouth ; the other, in bitter mockery
of Thebes, her ancient plague, the monstrous
Sphinx, with the body of a youth in its claws.
The shield of Polyneices bore the figure of a
man in golden armour, led by a woman of noble
and modest aspect, above whose head was written
her name, 'JUSTICE,' while from her mouth came
the words, ' THIS MAN WILL i LEAD HOME.' Then
came King Adrastus, having for emblem a warrior
fully armed, mounting a ladder against a city-
wall, with this inscription, ' NOT ARES, THE WAR-
GOD, SHALL TURN ME BACK.' Last of all came
Amphiaraus, and he only had nothing painted on
his shield. He heeded not the farewells and
blessings of the crowd about the city gate, but
gazed before him as though in a trance, until,
as he passed through the archway, he turned and
looked back at the white porch of his home.
There, between his two young sons, Eriphyle
was standing, and their eyes met in one long,
last look. Never a word had they spoken to
one another since she had said the word that
sent him forth to his fate, and she had shunned
the sight of his calm, sad face. She could not
read the meaning of the glance he now turned

THE PRINCE WHO WAS A SKKR 81

upon her, but it seemed to pierce her very heart ;
almost she rushed forward to call him back, but
in a moment he had passed on at the head of
his men. " It is too late," she said aloud, and
went sobbing to her chamber. But before night
she had clasped on the necklace ; she need not
hide it now, and that was something.

Adrastus and his host marched northwards
through the land, and when they came to the
border, they halted to offer sacrifice and prayer to
Zeus, that he might send them a sign of good
fortune ere they set foot on foreign ground.
Amphiaraus, whose part it was as seer to inter-
pret the signs given by the sacrifice, watched in
silence while they heaped dry wood upon a way-
side altar, and laid the burnt offering of a ram
thereon, and kindled the pile ; well he knew that
the sign given would be one plain enough for all
to read without help of his. The thin flames,
pale in the sunlight, had scarcely flickered up
from the altar, when from the cloudless summer
sky a shower of hail came hissing down upon the
sacrifice, and quenched it in an instant. Thunder,
in one sharp peal, followed the hail, which fell
only on the altar. While all stood dismayed,
Adrastus boldly cried, " Courage, my comrades.
What though this portent tells us Zeus will not
accept our offering, it may be that he foretells a
greater. We have offered a ram on this poor

F

82 THE GOLDEN PORCH

altar, but the god perhaps signifies that he waits
the sacrifice of a hundred oxen which I have
vowed him from the spoil of Thebes." Thus
he cheered the spirits of his army, but the princes
cried, "Let the seer interpret for us. Tell us,
Amphiaraus, what bodes this sign evil or good ? "

"Nay," answered the seer, "hearken rather to
Adrastus, for the time is gone by when word of
mine could avail you. Yet, if he trusts in vows,
let him know this, to obey is better than
sacrifice."

That night, the host encamped among the
hills, and next noontide they rested in a deep
and grassy vale, shut in by hanging woods. The
streams of the valley were now dwindled or dried
up by the heat of summer, and it was needful to
seek elsewhere for water. The Seven Champions
went a little further through the solitary vale,
and found a woman seated on a flowery knoll,
with a child playing at her feet, and they asked
her if there were any springs in that place where
their host might drink, and water the horses.

" I will show you," she said, " where there is
such a spring ; it is in yonder wood, across the
valley."

Then they called to them their slaves from the
camp, who came bearing great jars slung on poles,
and followed the woman, but the child was left
at play among the flowers of the meadow. Now

THE PRINCE WHO WAS A SEER 83

when they returned from the spring, he was not
where she had left him, nor did he answer her
calling, and she began to weep, saying, " He is the
King's only son, whom I, his nurse, brought
hither to play ; if evil has befallen him, I am
undone."

" He cannot be far away," said the Seven
Champions, and they bade their men search the
valley.

But Amphiaraus saw the head and back of a
serpent glancing through the meadow grass at a
distance, and said, "He is yonder." They ran
where he pointed, and the woman with a loud
cry threw herself upon the body of the child, who
lay there dead, slain by that serpent's bite. Fear
and trembling came upon the Seven, for all knew
that the sight of Death upon the road foretells
utter disaster to the traveller, and of all evil signs
this is the worst. Nevertheless, the hearts of the
rest were hardened, by the will of the gods, that
they might fulfil their doom, and the seer spoke
no word to turn them from their onward march,
knowing it was now too late. He bade the
weeping nurse be comforted, for no harm should
come to her, and asked her the name of that
place. "It is called the vale of Nemea," she
said, " and the folk say Heracles, that great hero,
did his first mighty deed here, ridding these woods
of a man-slaying lion. They say he strangled the

84 THE GOLDEN PORCH

monster with his bare hands, and I may well
believe it ; the men of to-day are but weaklings
to him and his godlike generation, whom I saw
in my youth."

Now this woman was old, and meanly clad,
yet she bore herself nobly, and her speech was
not the speech of a slave. Adrastus asked her
name, and whether she were any kin to her
master, the king of that country. "I am Hyp-
sipyle," she answered, " who once was queen of
an island far away. An evil fate cast me from my
throne, and my foes sold me into bondage. And
now, when I take the tidings to my master that
his child is dead, he will surely put me to death
because I kept not guard over my nursling."

But the Seven Champions sent a herald with
those tidings to the King, her master, and he
came to them with his Queen, and all their
household, making great lamentation. The
Seven gave him sorrowful greeting, and when
they had made themselves known to him, they
laid all blame to themselves for the mischance
that had befallen, and took his promise to hold
the nurse guiltless. Then they buried the child
in that same meadow, and raised a lofty mound
over the grave, and set a pillar of stone upon the
mound, whereon his name should be engraven, to
keep him in remembrance. All the host from
Argos mourned for him with his own people, for

THE PRINCE WHO WAS A SEER 85

three days and three nights, and the King, his
father, made a great funeral feast in the vale of
Nemea. On the third day, the Seven Champions
departed, but first Amphiaraus made solemn
offerings at the grave, pouring milk mingled
with honey upon it, as the custom was, and he
spoke these words to the father : " I bid you
engrave a new name upon this memorial stone,
and not the name which your child bore in his
life. Henceforth his name is Archemorus, that
is, Doom's Firstling, for he was made the beginning
of calamity to us in this our ill-starred journey.
Grieve not, O King, for his early death, since
without having known toil or pain, he has won
glory such as many strive for through long and
weary lives. For a thousand years to come, men
shall hold solemn feasts beside this grave, and call
his death to remembrance ; the flower of youth
from all the cities of Greece shall gather to those
festivals, and contend in feats of strength, and in
honour to his memory the victors shall be crowned
with garlands of the wild parsley which grows on
the spot where he died."

With this prophecy the seer went his way.

News of the coming of the Seven Champions
flew before them, and there was tumult and fear
in the city of Thebes. Eteocles, the King, made
ready to defend the walls against them, and he
alone felt no fear ; he was of sterner mood than

86 THE GOLDEN PORCH

his brother Polyneices, and the thought of their
father's curse troubled him not at all. He ap-
pointed six doughty chieftains to guard six gates
of the city, for his scouts brought word that each
leader of the enemy's host was encamped before
one of the seven gates of Thebes, and having
asked where Polyneices was posted, he said, " That
gate I will defend myself. My traitor-brother,
who dares to threaten his mother-city with fire
and sword, must fall by no hand but mine."
These dreadful words were spoken in the hearing
of his household, and of the wives and mothers
of the citizens, who had flocked for safety to the
fortified rock whereon the palace stood, and all
who heard them trembled. But none dared say
their mind to the King, except one grey-haired
dame, who had known him from a child. " The
gods forbid," she cried, wringing her withered
hands, "that ever the sons of one mother should
meet in deadly fray. Nay, my King, do not this
wickedness : bring not the deep pollution of a
brother's blood upon you. Command one of
your captains to guard the seventh gate, and
fight yourself against some other champion, not
with Polyneices, lest the gods of our city with-
hold their aid from you in anger."

Then others of the women entreated him also
not to fight at the seventh gate, falling at his
feet with loud laments and clasping his knees in

THE PRINCE WHO WAS A SEER 87

supplication. But Eteocles thrust them away in
a rage, bidding them hold their peace for a pack
of brawling fools.

"As for the gods," he said, "I care not how I
may offend them, seeing that they have long
hated all my race with a great hatred." And he
went forth to look to the manning of the walls,
and took his post at the seventh gate.

The host of the Seven Champions was now
mustered for the onset ; their trumpets rang out
the signal, and above the clash of armour and
clatter of chariot-wheels were heard the war-cries
of the Seven as they rushed forward to the
assault, and the answering shouts of the men of
Thebes. As the bold Tydeus mounted his
chariot, he saw Amphiaraus come forth from his
tent and stand beside his own ready car, stroking
the necks of the horses, and talking to them.
"Ah, laggard!" he called to him, "so our seer
is too wise to face the doom he foretold us.
Now shame on you, Amphiaraus, for even if
your prophet's eyes see Death himself waiting
at yonder gate, you play a coward's part in
loitering here."

The seer lifted up his eyes and looked to-
wards the gate on which his men were already
advancing.

" I do indeed see what none else may see,
yonder," he answered, " but it is not Death ;

88 THE GOLDEN PORCH

it is a warrior-form in the likeness of myself,
as I was in youth, and his shield bears the
speckled snake, that I took for badge in memory
of Melampus. Yet it is not the wraith of my-
self, for I see him enter that gate a victor, from
which I must be beaten back this very day. It
is the vision of my son, the boy Alcmaeon, as
he will one day be seen ; the gods have granted
me to know, in this last hour, that our children,
Tydeus, shall conquer where their fathers fell.
But now farewell, brave prince, for neither you
nor I shall return to pleasant Argos ; would with
all my heart that I might die the death of a
warrior with my noble comrades, but another
doom is mine."

Then, with rapt gaze still bent upon the city
gate, Amphiaraus stepped into his chariot and
gathered up the reins, and at the bidding of
his loved voice the horses dashed full gallop into
the thick of the battle.

All day, like the thunder of surf against the
cliffs, the din of that great fight swelled and
sank round the walls of Thebes ; all day a pall
of coppery haze hung low over the city in the
hot June air, laden with the sandy dust that rose
in clouds from the trampled earth. So low it
hung that the men upon the wall saw as through
veils of fog the sudden glint of weapons, and
white grim faces of the foes, come surging up

THE PRINCE WHO WAS A SEER 89

from below when now and again some party
of the invaders had planted their scaling-ladders
against the ramparts in spite of the showers of
darts and stones hurled down upon them. Now
of scores who scaled the ladders, all were beaten
back or cast down headlong before they could set
foot upon the wall, except Capaneus, he of the
Seven who had written on his shield the boast
that he would fire the city. But he, carrying a
blazing torch in his left hand, thrust it in the
face of the nearest foes as he leaped among them,
so that they fell back, and he sprang past them,
and gained the roof of a temple that was built
against the wall's inner side. "Zeus himself,"
he shouted, "shall not stop me now." The men
of Thebes durst not leave the battlement to
follow him, for his comrades came crowding up
the ladder, and Capaneus in another instant
would have fired the wooden gable of the temple,
when, with one blinding flash of jagged flame, a
thunderbolt out of heaven struck him and his
torch to a heap of ashes. Such was the end of
a man who had ever made a boast of defying the
power of the gods.

Now, where all fought fearlessly and well,
none did more valiantly than King Adrastus,
and the foemen went down like corn before
the reaper as he hewed his way among them
to the gate. But as the day wore on, his own

9 o THE GOLDEN PORCH

ranks were thinned ever faster by the missiles
from the walls, and evil reports came by one
messenger after another of the fighting at the
other gates. Capaneus, they said, was charred
to ashes by a thunderbolt, a manifest judgment
of Zeus upon his impious vaunt, and Tydeus
was breathing his last, wounded to death by
the Theban chieftain he had slain in single
combat. Then came word that others of the
Seven were fallen, and when the light of sunset
began to dye those reddened walls with a deeper
crimson, a cry went through the host, from gate
to gate : " O men of Argos, our cause is lost ;
the princes of Thebes have met, and Polyneices
is hewn down by his brother's sword." At that
cry, the besieged as one man burst out by all
the gates with shouts of victory, and drove the
now wavering mass of the invaders in rout before
them. Adrastus knew that he only was left
alive of the Seven, unless Amphiaraus, of whom
no word had reached him, were among the
flying ; the day was lost indeed, and he turned
rein and fled for his life. The pursuers pressed
hard upon him, and one of his horses began
to slacken speed at last for weariness and lack
of provender ; but the other, a bay stallion of
Corinthian breed that Amphiaraus had given him,
held on gallantly, straining at the yoke. "Save
me now, Arion," Adrastus called to him; "save

THE PRINCE WHO WAS A SEER 91

me for his sake who reared you and gave you
to me," and quick as thought he lighted down
from the chariot, cut Arion's trace, and sprang
upon his back. The good horse neighed as if
to show he understood, then went forward like
the wind; over hill and dale he sped untiring,
till he brought his rider safe to Argos.

The King was the first to bring those evil
tidings to the city, and few there were who
came behind him of all the great array that
went forth to Thebes. Amphiaraus was not
among the fugitives, nor could any of them
give news as to his fate in the battle. The
city was filled with the lamentations of the old
men, the women and children, mourning for
sons, husbands and fathers, for every household
was made desolate, from the least to the greatest.
Then the elders of the folk, clad in white robes
(for white was the hue of mourning at Argos),
came to the King and besought him to send a
herald to Thebes, praying leave to bring home
the bones of the men who had fallen, that at
least they might rest in the sepulchres of their
fathers. This Adrastus did, and he himself,
with the remnant of his fighting men, followed
the herald to the border of the Theban land,
there to wait till leave were granted. The
herald returned with word that there was a new
king in Thebes. " Eteocles," he said, "even as

92 THE GOLDEN PORCH

he clove the helm of his brother, was stabbed
by him a hand's-deep in the breast, and they
fell down dead together. Creon, their mother's
brother, now rules the city, and he grants you the
truce you desire, but bids you come unarmed."
So Adrastus and his train came weaponless, in
the white garb of mourning, beneath the walls,
and they built a great pyre before each gate,
and laid their dead thereon for the burning.
For so was the custom of those days, to burn
the bodies of those slain in war abroad, and
gather their ashes into urns, which were laid in
tombs in their own land. Now the body of
Amphiaraus was not found among the slain, and
as Adrastus stood watching the burning pyres,
he lifted up his voice and wept, saying, " Would
that even in death I might look on his face
again, the jewel of all my host, the best of
warriors and the best of seers."

Scarcely had he said this, when he saw a youth
running towards him from a grove of poplars
nigh at hand, and he knew him for the shield-
bearer of Amphiaraus. " How conies it, young
man," said Adrastus, " that you are here, neither
slain nor captive, and where is your lord ? "

" King," said the youth, making obeisance,
" these three days I have hidden in the woods,
fearing the Theban horsemen who have been
hunting our people that escaped. I was in the

THE PRINCE WHO WAS A SEER 93

chariot with my lord, the seer, while he fought,
and he fought like a lion until that terror from
the gods fell upon the host, when they heard that
Polyneices was killed. Then, when all were fly-
ing, the seer said, ' The hour is come,' and he
turned his horses from the gate, yet he followed
not the rest who fled toward Argos, but made for
the woods eastward. The captain of that gate
saw him, and came after us, driving furiously,
and crying, ' Turn, coward, and fight with me,'
but the seer answered never a word, nor looked
back ; I feared when I looked at him, for his face
was set like a statue's, and his eyes seemed follow-
ing some unseen thing along the road. Now we
came to an open glade among the trees, and sud-
denly he pulled the horses backwards, and brought
the chariot to a standstill, and said to me, ' Light
down quickly, my son, for here is my journey's
end.' And as I did so, wondering, he cried,
' Stand back from the chariot ; stand back from
this place, I charge you, as you love your life.
Commend me to Adrastus, and farewell.' In that
instant I felt the ground rock under my feet, and
I leaped back, and ran to the edge of the wood.
I saw the chariot that pursued us sway from side
to side, and the horses stop in mid-career, trem-
bling and plunging, and the brandished spear
drop from the Theban captain's hand, and then
oh, what a sight was that for mortal eyes the

94 THE GOLDEN PORCH

heaving earth yawned asunder beneath the chariot
of Amphiaraus, and he and his horses went down
alive into the pit. Before we that saw it could
draw breath to cry out, the chasm closed over
their heads. Woe is me for my kind lord, and
woe will there be in Argos for the shepherd of
the folk that is taken away by so dread a
doom."

The King and all his company heard this tale
in awestruck silence, but presently they fell to
weeping afresh at the thought that they could not
bring back to Argos even the poor relics of that
wise and mighty prince, to rest in honour among
his own people. The pyres of the dead burned
all night, and at dawn they quenched the embers
with wine, and gathered the ashes into the urns
of painted clay, and made ready to depart. Then
came to them out of the city a venerable old
man, wearing a priest's chaplet of white wool,
twined with leaves, on his long grey hair, and led
by a young boy, for he was blind. He walked
slowly to where the King was standing, and spoke
thus, leaning on his staff: "My name, O King
Adrastus, is Teiresias, priest of Apollo's temple
in this place, to whom the gods have given the
power of a seer and a diviner of dreams, even as
they gave it to Melampus and his house. I am
come to bid you be comforted concerning Am-
phiaraus, for the doom that overtook him was

THE PRINCE WHO WAS A SEER 95

sent of Zeus, who would not suffer so good a
man to be dishonoured by falling in the rout of a
vanquished host. He has perished, as the Fates
ordained all save one of the Seven Champions
should perish, but he was spared the stroke of a
conqueror's spear. Moreover, his spirit rests in
peace in the abode of just and holy men departed,
where the beloved of the gods are granted a tear-
less life for evermore. There, among the lilies
and asphodel of dewy meadows, he walks beside
the still waters, in the light and fragrance of an
eternal spring. And I am given to know that as
in life he was the wise counsellor of his people,
so from that other world he will yet bless them
with his guidance, and not them only, but folk of
many lands who seek it in their need. For in
days to come men will raise a temple over that
spot where the earth engulfed him, and to those
who sleep within its walls the dead seer will show
in dreams of the night the things that they pray
to have revealed."

Then Teiresias returned into the city of
Thebes, but Adrastus went home to Argos
with the relics of the slain, pondering deeply the
words that he had heard, and he lived to know
that they were truly spoken.

PELEUS AND THE SEA-KING'S
DAUGHTER

CHAPTER I

ONCE upon a time there was a king's son
called Peleus, and he went out into the
world to seek his fortune. Many adventures
befell him on his travels, and wherever he came
he made friends, for he was brave in war and
gentle in peace, very strong, and fair to look
upon, and as good as he was beautiful. Of all
things, he took most delight in hunting, and in
those days that sport was perilous, for the whole
earth was full of savage beasts. The lion and
the bear and the fierce wild boar roamed in the
mountains and forests, and men feared them
greatly for the harm they did to flocks and herds
and crops, so that to slay such creatures was
thought fit work for the bravest. Now it
chanced, as Peleus wandered in the land of
Greece, that he came to the house of a king,
and the king's son became his friend. But, by
great misfortune, one day that the two lads went

97 G

9 8 THE GOLDEN PORCH

hunting together, Peleus cast his javelin at a boar,
and it flew sideways from his hand and pierced
the heart of his comrade. Peleus could not bear
to go back to the king with tidings that his son
was slain ; he fled away in wild grief through the
lonely woods, not knowing or caring whither.
He was no murderer, yet he had shed blood, and
he knew that every one would shrink from him
as unclean, till he could find a protector who
would aid him to wash away the stain of guilt.
Only a king or a priest could do this for him ;
only these had power, when a man had caused
another's death by accident, to purify him from
the deed of blood by prayer and sacrifice to the
gods. Peleus soon found such a helper. His
wanderings brought him to the fair town of lolcos
by the sea, and he made himself known to the
king, who received him kindly, and did him the
service he besought. There he dwelt for a time,
and served that king, whose name was Acastus,
with a grateful heart. But the queen, Hippolyta,
was the wickedest of women, although fair as a
lily, and sweet as honey in all her ways, and, by
evil hap, she no sooner cast eyes on the beautiful
stranger than she fell in love with him. From
that day she thought of nothing but of how to
get him into her power, but Peleus seemed to
have no eyes for her soft glances, and no ears for
her flattering speeches. At last she found him

PELEUS 99

alone one day in a room of the palace, and,
cunning woman that she was, began to tell him
of a secret treasure that King Acastus had, which
she would sell him for a kiss. Peleus, at first,
could not understand her words, but when she
spoke more plainly, he turned hot with anger,
and broke away from her with horror, calling
the God of Guestright to witness that never for
any bribe would he rob the king, his kind host,
of anything that was his. Now the God of
Guestright is Zeus, who protects all strangers,
and rewards all those who receive them hospi-
tably, moreover, his vengeance falls upon all who
return evil for good to their hosts. So he had
been well pleased that Acastus befriended Peleus
in his need, and that Peleus was grateful, and
now from his throne in the sky he heard these
words, and remembered them in due time.

Queen Hippolyta's love was of the kind that
turns to bitterest hate if it is slighted ; her pride
was stung by the lad's look of scorn, and now her
one thought was how to be revenged on him.
She knew that her trusting lord would believe
anything she told him, and she resolved in her
wicked heart upon a plan by which Peleus should
perish, and her own guilt never be known. With
sighs and tears she told King Acastus that they
were terribly deceived in the stranger who seemed
so noble, for he had dared to ask her for the

q

TOO THE GOLDEN PORCH

secret treasure, nay, had sought to take it from
her by force. Never doubting that the Queen's
story was true, Acastus was enraged beyond
measure at such black-hearted ingratitude, and
swore that Peleus should die for his treachery.
Yet, because he was his guest, he would not kill
him under his own roof, but took thought how
he might destroy him in some other place. Now
there was in that country a great mountain called
Pelion, covered with forest, where there was good
hunting. Many a tall deer had the King and
Peleus chased in those green woods and through
the glens where the rushing mountain streams
went singing down their rocky moss-fringed
channels. Acastus thought that he would take
Peleus hunting there once more, and after a
long day's chase they would rest, as they some-
times did, in a cavern of the hills for the night.
Then he would steal the sleeping youth's weapons
from his side, and bid his servants put him to
death when morning came. But he himself would
slip away before it was light, for he would not
slay with his own hand one who had eaten his
bread and drunk of his cup.

And all would have come to pass as he had
planned, but that Zeus did not forget Peleus.
After the day's hunting the King and his train
went to the cave, and cooked their supper, and
lay down to sleep. But in the early dawn Peleus

PELEUS 101

awoke, and looked about him, and saw that his
weapons were gone. Acastus, too, was gone, and
in the doorway of the cave stood the servants,
with white faces and drawn swords, whispering
together, for they feared to set upon Peleus,
unarmed though he was. Then he sprang up
with a cry, and at that they rushed upon him all
together. In that instant another cry sounded
behind them, and a thundering clatter of horse-
hoofs, and as they turned in amaze, a huge four-
footed thing came plunging past them and stood
at Peleus' side. At that sound and sight the
men broke and fled ; well they knew what the
strange creature was, and once those forests had
been full of them, though now they were rarely
seen. Peleus also knew by report that wondrous
double-natured race, called Centaurs, but he gazed
in wonder and some fear on what he now saw to
be one of them. The Centaur's form was human
down to the waist, but there it ended in the body
of a powerful horse. Half man, half beast, he
seemed at once terrible and mild ; his eye flashed

* *

fire, and his brawny arms bent the bow he carried
with a fierce gesture as he wheeled round to face
the terrified servants, yet he had a wise and gentle
face, and now bade the astonished youth fear
nothing, in a deep and kindly voice.

" You came in a good hour for me," said
Peleus, " for those men of the King's were about

102 THE GOLDEN PORCH

to kill me, and, as I heard them muttering, they
had his commands. What this may mean I can-
not guess ; I know that I have served him faith-
fully, and he ever seemed to love me well. But
tell me what I must call you, my kind deliverer,
and what chance brought you here, and then I in
turn will tell you who I am, and all my unhappy
story."

"Call me Chiron," said the Centaur, "but ask
not, Peleus, what chance sent me hither, for it was
no chance, but the providence of Zeus. In your
hour of temptation did you not call upon his
name ? Yes, his all-seeing eye marked that you
were true to his law, and those who honour him
in secret, my son, he rewards openly. Believe
me, he has great things in store for you which I
may not speak of now. But as for Acastus, know
that his wife brought a lying tale to him, feigning
that you had sought to do him that very wrong
which she would have bribed you to commit."

Greatly did Peleus marvel how the Centaur
could know all this, for he had said no word to
any one of the Queen's wickedness, not only
because he knew that she would utterly deny it,
and none would believe him, but because a brave
man will tell no tales of a woman, however bad
she maybe. Chiron smiled, as though he guessed
his thoughts, and took him gently by the hand.
" Come, prince," he said, " you see that you need

PELEUS 103

tell me nothing. You will not think that so
strange when you know more about myself and
about my people who live in the depths of this
forest among the silent places of the hills. But
now I must take you far up the mountain, where
my own dwelling is. It is no palace, such as you
have come from, but so keen a hunter as you are
will find it a lodging after your own heart, and
there must be your home for many a long day."

So they went out of the cave into the morning
sunshine, and as they took their way up the steep
woodland paths Chiron began to speak of the
Centaurs and the joys of their wild life among
the mountains. He told of the far-off days when
he himself was young, and first left his mother's
side to roam far and wide in the forest. How
glorious it had been to feel the strength of his
young limbs as he galloped under the waving
boughs, or splashed through the clear waters of
some shady pool at the foot of a tinkling water-
fall ! How wonderful, on summer nights, to
climb the bare rocky summits of Pelion and look
up into another forest, the forest of stars, where
the great constellations wandered, the two Bears,
and the Pleiades, like a flight of doves, and Orion
the Huntsman, with his Dog ! In those days, he
said, the Centaur folk were many in number, and
lived at peace, knowing no enemies but the beasts
of prey. These they made war upon with bows

io 4 THE GOLDEN PORCH

and arrows, for they had great skill in archery,
but they hunted none other of the woodland
creatures, and their food was only roots, and
acorns, and wild berries. Men, whom they
seldom saw, they pitied and despised as a feeble
and deformed race, and Chiron had heard a story
that the poor two-legged things were once a tribe
of Centaurs, who angered the gods, and were
punished by being cut in half. But Chiron's
people had learned at last to fear the puny race
more than the fiercest and strongest wild beasts,
"and this, Peleus," he said, "is how it came to
pass. There was a great feast made in this land
for the wedding of a king's son, to which all were
bidden from far and near, even the Centaurs from
the hills. Now, none of them had ever tasted
wine, nor knew what it was, and when they were
given to drink of it at the banquet they thought
the gods themselves had not a diviner liquor, and
they drank till madness came upon them, so that
they began to insult and quarrel with the other
guests. Then one of them, starting up, laid
hands on the fair bride, crying that he would
carry her off for a prize, and the rest, with savage
laughter and shouting, seized the maidens, her
companions. In a moment that merry feast was
turned to a bloody fray ; the hall rang with the
shrieks of the women and the shouts of the men
as they sprang to defend them and struggled with

PELEUS 105

the furious Centaurs, who reared and plunged to
and fro, lashing out with their terrible hoofs.
Many a man went down in that deadly fight and
was trampled to death as he fell, yet, Peleus, my
people, for all their mighty strength, were no
match for the folk they had despised, for these
men, these weaklings, fought with weapons un-
known to the Centaurs, with the sword and the
spear. And one by one, though the great creatures
fought long and stubbornly, they felt the fatal
thrust of iron in breast or side, one by one they
were struck down, till at last the whole troop lay
dead or dying in the hall, and their red blood was
mingled on its pavement with the red wine that
ran from the overturned wine-jars. Ever since
that day those who were left of my people have
shunned the face of man, and hidden from him
in the loneliest nooks of Pelion. For we have
learnt that he is the destined lord of the earth,
and where he comes all other creatures must
give place, or else obey him. Therefore we,
who cannot be tamed any more than our mountain
torrents, must die out and disappear from our
loved haunts. Soon there will be no more of
us, and the time will come when men will even
doubt if we ever existed."

" If I were you," Peleus replied, " I should
hate the race that you say is ordained to subdue
the earth and drive your people before it. How

106 THE GOLDEN PORCH

is it then, O Chiron, that you can show yourself
so friendly to me, a man, and speak so patiently
of the doom you foresee for your kindred ? '

Once more his strange guide smiled, and it
seemed to the youth that he looked at him with
tenderness and with pity. " Dear lad," he said
at last, " nothing that lives is so wonderful as
man ; but the immortal gods, when they gave him
gifts above all Earth's other children, gave him
also two things to keep him from growing too
proud. These things are called Disease and
Death. Now the first of these we Centaurs
know nothing of, while as for the other, though
we cannot live for ever, our natural life is many
times longer than yours. You see me, Peleus,
still in the prime of my strength, yet have I seen
generations of men flourish and fall like the forest
leaves. Alas ! and I have seen their beauty and
their strength decay untimely blighted by cruel
sickness. When I saw this, compassion filled my
heart, and because I knew that Mother Earth
brings forth herbs of healing power for her
children's sake, I set myself to learn them all,
and to watch how every beast and bird would
feed thereon, as its nature taught it, when it was
ailing, that so I might become the physician and
helper of suffering man. And that, indeed, is
how I got my name of Chiron, for it means ' He
with the hands,' and by favour of the gods my

PELEUS 107

hands have laid healing on many an aching head
and many a throbbing wound. Marvel not, then,
that I have learnt also to love the race of men ;
do you not know that as soon as you help any
one, you begin to love him even against your
will ? "

As they talked thus together, they came to
Chiron's dwelling, which was a long and lofty
cavern near the top of the mountain. Here
the wise Centaur had been born, and here had
lived through many generations of mortal men.
Clematis, with its purple blossoms, and dark
glossy ivy hung like a rich curtain round the
doorway, and close to the threshold a spring
of living water welled from out the rock and
sent a tiny rivulet across the level greensward,
where mountain bees were humming over tufts
of wild thyme. The rays of the sun, already
drawing westward, lit up the portals of the cave ;
but far within Peleus could see a dusky, vaulted
chamber opening into the very heart of the hill.
Out of those dim recesses two figures, in shape
like Chiron, came towards him with words of
kindly greeting ; they were Philyra and Chariclo,
the mother and wife of the good Centaur. It
seemed that they had known of his coming, for
they had dressed him a supper of venison and
strewed him a soft bed of grass and leaves
covered with deerskins. At sunset the cave

io8 THE GOLDEN PORCH

was already in darkness, save where a fire of pine
logs glowed redly in the centre of its rocky floor,
and the tired youth soon slept as soundly in
that strange abode as he had ever done in kings'
houses.

Chiron's cave, as he had said, was a lodging
such as any hunter might desire. Peleus had
his fill of hunting every day, and the Centaur
taught him all manner of things that belong
to woodcraft the ways of all the wild things
great and small, and the note of every bird, and
the uses of every plant, and all the signs of
the weather. Also he trained him skilfully in
all manly exercises, in running and leaping and
wrestling and throwing the spear, till he grew
swift-footed as a stag, and supple-sinewed as
a wildcat, and strong as a mountain bull. But
when the dark winter came, and the north wind
blew bitter cold through the snow-laden pines,
Chiron had other lessons for his guest as they
sat before a great fire of logs and fir-cones
fashioning bows and arrows, or shaping and
carving cups and platters of beechwood. Then
he would tell of the brave deeds of famous
heroes, some of whom he himself had known
and taught in their youth ; of Jason, whom
he had brought up in that cavern from a child,
and how he built the good ship Argo with wood
from that same forest, and sailed her from lolcos

PELEUS 109

far into unknown seas to find the Golden Fleece.
And of another child, Asclepios, whose mother
died at his birth, and how he was brought to
him, like a lost lamb, in the arms of Hermes,
the kind and merry shepherd-god. Chiron
thought that the god's touch must have gifted
that child with his own love for young and
weakly creatures, for Asclepios would never go
hunting, but delighted to find and care for baby
beasts and birds that had strayed or got hurt.
Of all the Centaur could teach him he loved
best to learn the art of healing, and at last his
skill became greater than his master's, and he went
among the cities of men working such wondrous
cures that after his death he was honoured as a
god, and temples were dedicated to him, which
were the first of all hospitals for the sick.

So the mind of Peleus was stored with examples
of noble living, and with the wisdom which long
experience had taught the good Centaur. Soon
he grew to love his gentle teacher as a father,
and to wonder more and more what had made
him so different from the other Centaurs, who
sometimes visited the cave, and who knew nothing,
but lived the life of animals. One day he re-
minded him that he had never said how he came
to know what befell in the palace of Acastus.
" Have you been here so long," said Chiron,
"and never noticed that I, like all my kindred,

no THE GOLDEN PORCH

understand the language of those other children
of Earth whom you call dumb? The birds of
the air, I must tell you, are great gossips, and
the swallows who nest under the palace eaves
in lolcos hear many things worth repeating to
their friends the rock-martins, who lodge in the
crevices of our rocks. But if you are wondering,
as I think you are, why I alone of the Centaurs
was not content with lawless, savage ways, but
desired to learn wisdom and do the will of the
gods, I will tell you a secret. I am not quite
the same as the rest of my race, for I have a soul.
Ah, Peleus, the life of the Centaurs is like the
life of the forest trees, long and vigorous, but
it ends at last, and then, like the trees when
they fall, we sleep for ever in the Jap of Earth.
Only to me have the gods given an immortal
soul such as they give to men. And having a
soul has made me think of many things to which
the other Centaurs pay no heed."

" That is very natural," said Peleus. After
this, he grew even fonder of Chiron, because he
had a soul, just like himself. And they lived
happily till spring came to the forest.

PELEUS 1 1 1

CHAPTER II

IN the dim green depths of the sea, where all is
calm and silent, while winds are howling and
white waves tossing far above, where winter never
comes, and strange pale flowers bloom all the
year round in forests of rainbow-coloured sea-

ri

weeds, there are as many kingdoms and countries
as are found upon dry land.

One of the largest of these countries was ruled
by the old Sea-King Nereus, and it lay near the
shores of Greece. Fathoms down below the blue
southland waters stood the Sea-King's palace,
built of coral and amber, and roofed with mother-
of-pearl, and there he dwelt in peace with the fifty
princesses, his daughters.

These maidens were of more than earthly
beauty, but the youngest, whose name was Thetis,
was the loveliest of them all, and in her childhood
she was the darling of the rest, who called her
their little queen. Now Nereus, like all the sea-
people, was not only immortal, but had the power
of foreseeing the future, and so, having already
lived hundreds of years, and possessing this gift
of prophecy, he had grown exceedingly wise, and
the gods themselves often sought counsel of him,
for he knew all that had happened in the past, and
all that was to come. It befell about the time

ii2 THE GOLDEN PORCH

that Peleus went to dwell with Chiron, that the
god Poseidon came from his own sea-palace to the
halls of Nereus, desiring some advice, and found
him feasting in royal state, sitting on a crystal
throne and waited on by the fifty princesses. The
ancient King rose up to greet Poseidon, and
placed him in the seat of honour at his right
hand, and the beautiful Thetis hastened to serve
him as cup-bearer. When they had feasted
enough, the other sisters began a wonderful
dance, and as they danced they sang ; their dance
looked like the twisting and untwisting of a rain-
bow, for they moved in seven bands of seven, and
the robes of the first seven were violet, of the
next rose-coloured, and so on. But Thetis, who
was robed in white, sat meanwhile on a silver
footstool at her father's feet ; this was her birth-
day, and the dancers sang their love for her and
wished her perpetual joy. Poseidon could not
take his eyes from the lovely sea-princess, and he
thought, " There is none like her, even among
the goddesses." The dance ended, and Nereus
placed a chaplet of fifty pearls on the head of
Thetis, saying, " Each of my daughters, O Posei-
don, receives such a coronal as this when she
grows up to womanhood, and to-day I crown my
youngest and fairest child. No mortal princess
had ever so rich a dower, for every pearl is worth
a king's ransom."

PELEUS 1 1 3

" Most wise Nereus," answered Poseidon, " you
and I know well that all the riches on earth are
poor compared to the hidden treasures of the
sea. We know, too, how men will toil and
suffer and deal wickedly to gain the gold and
gems which we immortals deem but toys and
trinkets. Yet I will make bold to say that even
the most covetous of men, if he might choose,
would rather wed this maiden than possess her
crown of pearls."

" Boldly spoken, indeed," said the Sea-King,
with a smile. " But enough of this. Be pleased
to tell me now what you desire of me, if, as I
think, you came seeking counsel."

" To tell you what I desire," said Poseidon, " I
must speak more boldly still."

" Do so, my guest," answered Nereus. " Plain
speech and noble thoughts are what all look for
from Poseidon."

" I would wed Thetis," said the god, looking
upon her with his grave blue eyes. " I came
hither, Nereus, to ask help of your wisdom, as I
have often come before, but I have seen a sight
that makes me forget all else. Now, therefore, I
ask for this your daughter to be my queen."

" And will you not first ask," said the ancient
King, " what my counsel is upon this marriage ?
How if it be destined to work you evil ? "

But Poseidon tossed his dark head and an-

H

1 1 4 THE GOLDEN PORCH

swered, " Nay, I will hear no prophecy. Give
me my desire, and let come what come may."

" Shall I give my child," then said Nereus, " to
one so headstrong, who will no more heed a
warning than the waves whose lord he is ? "

At these words, Poseidon's eyes sparkled with
anger, and he rose up, drawing his great stature
to its full height. " Beware how you refuse me,"
he cried, " or you shall learn that I am lord not
only of the waves but of all that lies below them.
Yes, for when Zeus, my brother, took the throne
of heaven from our father Cronos, he kept for
himself the realms of sky and earth, but to me,
his chief helper, he gave dominion over the world
of waters. Mine are the seas and rivers, and all
that is therein."

" It is even as you say," answered Nereus
calmly, " and we, the ancient people of the sea,
must own you for overlord, who are of the
younger and stronger race of the sky-children.
Yet think not, Poseidon, that you can make us
afraid. You and your brethren, mighty though
you are, are not the first world-rulers we have
seen, nor the last we shall see. Trust me, the
day will come when your power too shall be
broken, when you shall plunge into these twilight
deeps to rise no more and find your last refuge in
this house of your friends. Grieve not the love we
bear you, high-hearted son of Cronos, by violent

PELEUS 1 1 5

words, but let us part in peace. If, in a year and
a day, your heart is still set on wedlock with my
child, then come hither, and you shall have her."

The proud Poseidon's heart was touched by
this gentle answer, and his angry mood passed
away as suddenly as it came. " Farewell then,
old King," he said, " and farewell maidens all,
until I come again. Sweetly have you sung in
praise of Thetis, but sweeter yet will sound your
voices in the joyous bridal-song."

So saying, he went his way to his own palace
under the waves.

Now because, as Nereus said, Poseidon was one
of the sky-children, he came often to the councils
and the feasts that Zeus held with the other Im-
mortals in the heavenly halls. Not long after
this, it chanced that, while the gods were gathered
at their banquet, they began to debate, Who was
the fairest among the goddesses ? Some said,
Hera, and some, Athena, and some, Aphrodite,
but Poseidon kept silence. Then said Zeus,
" Brother, you alone have not spoken. For whom
will you give your voice ? "

" For none here," answered Poseidon, " and
therefore have I held my peace. But if Thetis,
daughter of Nereus, were to rise from the sea
and come among you, your debate were quickly
ended. Neither in earth nor heaven is there
beauty like hers."

n6 THE GOLDEN PORCH

The goddesses heard these words with great
disdain, and the gods smiled to hear the unknown
sea-maiden preferred to the Queen of Heaven
and the Queen of Love. But Zeus was more
ready to believe his brother, and he asked where
this wonder might be seen. Poseidon told him
that the Sea-King's daughters came up on moon-
light nights to play and dance upon the shore.
" If you would see them," he said, " take the
form of some bird, or one of the seals that sleep
among the rocks for if they catch sight of man
or god watching them, they dive at once beneath
the waves." Poseidon said nothing of his love
for Thetis, and in his eagerness for Zeus to see
her loveliness he forgot that it might win the
heart of his mighty brother.

But the very next moonlight night Zeus took
the form of a sea-eagle, and perched upon a rock
as though asleep, and while he watched Thetis
dancing with her sisters, her beauty cast a spell
upon him, even as it had done upon Poseidon.

He, the King of gods and men, sat musing and
silent when the Immortals were gathered again
around his table, until the haughty, jealous Hera
began to taunt him with scornful words, asking
him if he had also seen the sea-witch (for so she
called Thetis), and been made dumb by her
enchantments.

" I have seen the daughter of Nereus," he

PELEUS 117

answered, " and little need, proud Queen, has she
of witchcraft, for she is yet fairer than Poseidon
told us. Neither the Evening nor the Morning
Star is so beautiful."

" Make her your Queen, then," cried the angry
goddess. " No longer will I be called the wife of
Zeus, who affronts me to my face. No, I will go
down to Earth, I will journey to the land beyond
the sunset and dwell with old Cronos, our ban-
ished father, and you, usurper as you are, may
share the throne of heaven with what upstart
you please. O, a glorious bride, truly, will you
set in Hera's royal chair ! Green eyes, has she
not, and a fish's tail ? "

Hera knew quite well that the sea-princesses
had no tails (except the mermaids in the north,
who belong to a different family), but she wished
to say as many unpleasant things as she could.
Now what was the grief and anger of Poseidon,
when Zeus, instead of soothing Hera, as he often
did, answered sternly, " Your will shall be done,
wayward goddess ! Bear witness, all who hear
me, that Hera is my wife no more. To-morrow
shall see another Queen in heaven, fairer, ay, and
more gentle than this troubler of our peace."

" Nay, O King," cried Poseidon, " this must
not be. The daughter of Nereus is my promised
bride."

But when he told how Nereus had promised to

n8 THE GOLDEN PORCH

give him Thetis, if he asked for her in a year
and a day, Zeus smiled and said, " My simple
brother, the Ancient of the Sea, who knows the
future, knew that you would not come back in
a year and a day, because ere then Thetis will
wed another. Do you not see how easily he
beguiled you ? "

" Bitterly shall he rue it, then," said Poseidon,
" yet why should he deceive me ? Besides, he
said something of evil threatening from the
marriage, and it comes into my mind that he
would have given me his daughter with good
will, but for that very reason."

"What evil might that be?" asked Zeus.

"I cared not to learn it," answered Poseidon,
recklessly, " for be it what it may, it shall not
turn me from my purpose. Thetis is mine, I
say, by her father's promise, and not even you,
King of us all, shall take her from me."

Zeus made no answer, but his brow grew black
as the storm-cloud, and the glance he darted
upon his brother was more dreadful to behold
than the red lightning. Poseidon, who flinched
not under that awful gaze, which no one else
ever dared to meet, flashed back a look of deadly
rage, while even Hera sat overawed, and the rest
watched afFrightedly the faces of those two great
brethren, in silence deep as the hush before it
thunders. All at once in the tense stillness, the

PELEUS 1 1 9

sound of trailing garments was heard without,
and there glided into the hall a veiled figure,
clad in white. Slowly she moved towards the
throne of Zeus, and stood between the angry
gods, and stretched out a hand to each. Then,
with one mind, all the Immortals rose up in
reverence ; Zeus himself took the newcomer by
the hand, and seated her beside him on the throne.
"Too seldom, holy goddess, do you visit us,"
he said, " welcome now and always, whatever be
your errand. Have you seen some law broken>
or some injustice done in the cities of men, that
you come veiled among us, as if in sorrow ? "

This he said, because that goddess, whose name
was Themis, was the guardian of justice and of
upright dealing, and was honoured in every city,
but her pure eyes could not behold iniquity, and
she veiled her face from the sight of wrong-
doing. She was, moreover, a very ancient goddess,
and had received from Earth, her mother, the
gift of prophecy and the knowledge of hidden
things.

She now threw back her veil, and turned her
calm sad gaze from one to other of the still
frowning brother-gods. " It is not by men," she
said, " that the invisible altar of Justice has been
spurned this very hour. The sky, O Zeus, has
darkened at your frown ; the sea, O Poseidon,
has risen in tempest at your furious voice, and

120 THE GOLDEN PORCH

trembling mortals have wondered for what im-
piety the gods are wroth. But it is you, their
judges and avengers, who are now transgressing
the sacred laws of righteousness. Shall it be told
among the kings of the earth, that the King of
the gods put away his wife for a passionate word,
and used his power to take the bride promised
to his brother ? Or shall it be sung among the
noble deeds of Poseidon that he defied his King
and brother, whom he had sworn to obey as
supreme ? Cease this unhallowed strife, O sons
of Cronos, and turn away your minds from the
daughter of Nereus, for were she ten times
fairer than she is, you would not wed her, if you
could read her fate."

With downcast eyes those high gods listened
to the rebuke of Themis, and they answered her
never a word. Then she rose up to depart, but
they both prayed her to tell them first what that
fate was, of which she spoke, promising that they
would strive no more, but draw lots who should
wed the sea-maiden, if they still desired her when
they knew all.

" It is ordained," said the wise goddess, " that
the son of Thetis shall be mightier than his
father. This is the peril of which Nereus would
fain have warned Poseidon. For, if one of the
greater gods marry her, the son born to them
must be so powerful that he may make himself

PELEUS 1 2 1

lord of heaven and earth ; his strength will be
irresistible, and he will wield some weapon more
terrible than Poseidon's earth-splitting trident or
the thunderbolts of Zeus. Easily would that new
god overthrow you all."

When the two gods heard this, they took an
oath not to marry Thetis, although Poseidon
declared at first that he would not give her up,
come what might. But Themis bade him re-
member that the son born to him would be a
danger not to himself alone, but to all the sky-
children, his kindred, so for their sakes he yielded.
Then said Zeus, " What if some other Immortal,
perchance one of the Earth-born Giants, our
ancient foes, should wed the sea-maiden, and rear
a son to overthrow us ? "

" Lest that should come to pass,"said Themis,
" let her be given in marriage to a mortal, then
will her child be mortal also. Let the Sea-King's
daughter endure the lot of a woman, mingled of
joy and sorrow, and look at last on a son fallen
in battle."

"Lady of good counsels," said Zeus, "say
further, on whom shall we bestow such a
bride ? "

" There is a king's son called Peleus," answered
the wise goddess, " who dwelt of late in lolcos,
and won the praise of all for his upright life.
You, O Zeus, know well that the praise was just,

122 THE GOLDEN PORCH

and already you have been his protector in peril.
Now, if it seems good to you, you may reward
him as he deserves."

"It pleases me well," said Zeus; "I have not
forgotten that brave youth, nor how Acastus
would have destroyed him by treachery. My
purpose was to give him a sure refuge with
Chiron until the time came for him to avenge
the evil deed of the godless King, who dared to
break the law of host and guest. Even now he
would slay Peleus if he could find him, so bitter
is the grudge he bears him. But for this while
we will let him alone ; soon enough will he pay
one price for all."

" So let it be," said Themis ; " and now, King
of gods, send Hermes with all speed to Chiron's
cave. The wise Centaur, when he hears the
tidings, will teach Peleus how to win the sea-
maiden, and make all things ready for her
marriage-feast."

Straightway Hermes put on his shining sandals,
which bear him dryshod over sea and land, and
departed with his message. The song of birds
was loud in the woods of Pelion as the god drew
near to the Centaur's cave, and the ground he
trod was carpeted with crocus and violets, and
the scarlet wind-flower, for it was now the spring-
tide. Peleus sat with Chiron in the cavern door-
way, and saw one coming towards them through

PELEUS 123

a sunny glade. He thought it was some shep-
herd lad of the hills, for his eyes were holden,
that he might not know the god, but the Centaur
knew him, and said, " Hail, friend ! What may
be your errand here ? ' :

" It is for your ear only," said Hermes.

Then Peleus said : " It is full time, O Chiron,
that I went hunting again. I will go in chase
of roebuck or wild kid to feast your guest
withal ; '" and so took his weapons and hastened
forth. At evening he returned, bringing venison,
but the stranger was gone ; nor did Chiron speak
of him ; wherefore Peleus asked no questions,
having learned the best of manners from the
good Centaur.

Next morning Chiron said to him, " I bethink
me, Peleus, that I need the juice of a certain
flower, for a salve that I am making. Do me
the favour to bring me some of it."

"Willingly," said Peleus; "only tell me what
is the flower and where it grows."

" It is the yellow sea-poppy," Chiron answered,
" and you will find it blowing on the sea-shore,
not many leagues from here. But, to be of any
virtue, it must be gathered by moonlight."

" That is easily done," said Peleus. " The
moon to-night will be almost full. At sunset
I will go down to the sea and gather your poppies
while she shines upon them."

i2 4 THE GOLDEN PORCH

So Peleus went down the mountain slopes at
evening time, and came upon the cliffs above the
sea, and saw the waves break glimmering in the
dusk below. Then he sat down and waited till
the moon should give him light to find a path
down to the beach, and, being wearied, he fell
asleep. When he awoke the world was flooded
with silver radiance, and, through the warm, still
air of the May night, the sound of clear voices
singing came mingled with the murmur of the
sea. He sprang to his feet, and leapt down the
rocks from ledge to ledge, drawn by the magic
of that entrancing song. And then, as he reached
the shore, he saw the singers, and stood spell-
bound with wonder and delight. The daughters
of Nereus were dancing in maiden mirth on the
level sands, not clad now in rainbow-coloured
robes, but covered only by their floating hair.
Faster and faster flew their little feet, twinkling
in the moonlight as if slippered with tinsel, and
all the while their shrill sweet song rose up like
the singing of a thousand larks. Peleus could
have looked and listened for ever, but all too
soon one of the sea-maidens, who seemed to lead
the dance, passing close beside him, turned her
head and looked him in the face. Only for an
instant he looked into her deep eyes, in colour
like the violet shadows on a sunny sea, then, with
a startled cry, she turned and fled into the waves.

PELEUS 125

"Away! away!' cried all the sisters, and, like
a flock of white sea-birds, the whole company
scurried into the moonlit waters and dived out
of sight.

Peleus forgot all about the yellow poppies ;
slowly and sadly he went back up the mountain-
side, and came to his cavern home in the grey
dawn, and told the good Centaur what he had
seen. " O Chiron," he said, " unless your wisdom
can help me, I am a lost man from this hour.
That song I heard is yet ringing in my ears, and
the eyes of that sea-maiden who looked me in the
face will give me no rest until I see them again.
Tell me how I may approach her and not be seen,
for the longing I have to behold her is like a
sword in my heart."

"Such pain," said Chiron gently, "must all
endure, who, being mortal, look on immortal
beauty face to face. Know, Peleus, that she of
whom you speak is the youngest and fairest of
the daughters of Nereus, the aged Sea-King.
Her father named her Thetis, which means
' Spell-Maiden,' because he knew she would
cast a spell of longing upon gods and men.
Now, unless you break that spell, you will pine
away and die, like the luckless sailors who come
to the Isle of the Sirens and listen to their
singing. But I will tell you what you must
do. Before moonrise to-night hide yourself

126 THE GOLDEN PORCH

behind some rock upon the shore, and, when
the sea-maidens come, watch until Thetis is so
near you that you can seize her in your arms.
Then hold her fast until she speaks to you, for
when she speaks the spell will break. Remember
that the sea-people have many strange powers,
but beware, whatever happens, that you do not
let her go."

Peleus did as Chiron bade him, and, as Thetis
went dancing by, he sprang out from his rock and
threw his arms about her. Again, at her sudden
cry, did all the other sisters flounce into the
waves, never pausing in their flight till they
reached their father's hall. But this time the
youngest sister came not home with the rest.
Peleus felt the sea-maiden tremble for a moment
in his strong arms, and then she began to struggle
with such violence that he marvelled at the force
of her slender body. "Speak to me, Thetis," he
cried, "speak but one word, and I will let you
go." But Thetis only struggled the more
wildly. Silently then they wrestled together
in the moonlight, until Peleus began to feel
his strength go from him, and his breath came
thick and fast. The white limbs of the sea-
maiden seemed to grow colder and colder to
his touch, so that a shiver ran through him, and
he closed his eyes, still clinging desperately to
her writhing form. And then, with horror, he

PELEUS 127

felt that form as it were melting in his grasp ;
he looked again at what he held, and it was no
maiden, but a great sea-snake, ringed with green
and purple, coiling this way and that to twist
itself free. Only its eyes were the eyes of Thetis,
and, seeing them, he gripped the creature still
closer, though his heart stood still with terror.
There came a cloud across the face of the moon,
and in the dark those eyes seemed turning into
balls of pale green fire. His hands no longer
clutched the slippery coils of a serpent, but
something furry and sleek ; the moon breaking
from the cloud showed him the form of a black
panther. Yet his heart did not wholly fail him,
though the panther snarled fearsomely and drove
its sharp claws into his side. As blood-drops
from the wound fell on the panther's glossy fur,
Peleus could feel it tremble ; for one instant it
lay still in his arms, and in that instant he cried
once more, " Speak to me, Thetis ! " but now it
gave a spring that well-nigh made him lose his
hold, and he tripped over a stone and fell head-
long. Furiously struggled the panting beast as
they rolled upon the sand, hither and thither it
dragged him while still he held on grimly, setting
his teeth and straining every muscle in a last
despairing effort. Its form seemed to swell and
change colour before his failing eyes ; surely now
it was a huge tawny thing he fought with, and

128 THE GOLDEN PORCH

his fingers were locked in a shaggy mane ! All
at once the hollow roar of a lion rent the silence ;
he saw its gleaming fangs and felt them fasten on
his arm. " This is the end of me," he thought,
but he would not let go. Gathering all his
strength he seized it by the throat with his
other hand, to strangle it if he could. The
lion, half-throttled, shook its mighty head, and
bounded madly towards the water's edge, carrying
Peleus along with it. He lost his footing again
on a seaweed-covered rock, and, falling heavily,
lay there stunned.

When he came to himself, his face was wet
with sea-water ; the moon was down, and at first
he could only see that a shadowy form crouched
near. Still dazed, he sat up, and lifted his arm
to look at something, long and brown and lustrous,
in his clenched hand. Was it a lock of the lion's
mane, or a ribbon of sea-weed ? " You are pulling
my hair," said a soft voice close by, and at that
sound Peleus burst into tears of joy.

The sun had risen out of the eastern sea, but
the dew lay yet in myriads of diamond drops
upon the upland lawns, when Peleus and Thetis,
hand in hand, began to climb the mountain path
that led across them into the green forest. They
had sat till daybreak by the grey lapping waves,
for when the spell was broken, it seemed that the
Sea-King's daughter had many things to say to

PELEUS 129

the mortal who had conquered her. She told
him how her people have the power, if any take
them captive, of changing their shape three times,
but if they fail to break free in the third shape,
they must return to their own ; and how, when
she quitted the form of a lion, she had thought
to plunge into the sea, but could not because, in
his swoon, his hand was still clenched upon her
hair. And how, even as she wounded him in her
struggle, a strange new anguish came upon her at
the sight of his blood, so that she longed to speak,
but the wild sea-nature in her locked her lips.

"Then, Peleus," she said, "as I watched you
lying there so pale, with shut eyes, I thought,
' This is death, of which I have heard tell, but
never saw till now,' and it seemed to me so cruel
a thing to die, and look no more upon the sun-
light, that I, who had never wept, shed bitter
tears upon your face."

" Was it your tears I felt ? "' said Peleus, " and
not the salt sea-spray ? O Thetis, may they be
the last, as they were the first, to fall from your
eyes." But, alas! they were not the last, nor the
most bitter.

Now, as they talked together, k was as if they
had known each other always, and now were met
again after long absence, such joy they had in
the sight and speech of one another. And when
Peleus said, " I can never leave you again, Thetis,"

I

130 THE GOLDEN PORCH

she answered, " There is no need, for I am happier
with you than I have ever been before." " Come
then," said he, " I will bring you to the cave of
the good Centaur, who is to me as a father."
And he told how Chiron had saved his life from
the men of King Acastus, and all else that he had
done for him. " But now," he said, " I owe
Chiron my life twice over, for had he not sent
me to gather sea-poppies, I might never have seen
you, and had he not counselled me to hold you
fast whatever befell, surely I must have let you go,
and then my heart would have gone with you under
the sea, and I have perished in my despair."

Thetis smiled, and as they left the beach, she
stooped and gathered a handful of the yellow
poppies, saying, " Let me bring these flowers to
Chiron, since it was through me that you went
back to him empty-handed."

So they went on together into the heart of the
forest, and ever as they went, the sea-maiden
looked about her and cried out for pleasure like
a child at the wonderful new things she saw, and
the new music that she heard among the boughs.
She thought, indeed, that it was the trees she
heard singing ; for though she could see the birds
flit through the branches, she did not know they
were not dumb, like the flocks of painted fishes
that hovered among the coral groves of her own
garden. She wondered, too, that the wild flowers

PELEUS 131

would not uncurl their petals when she stroked
them, like the sea-anemones, and because nothing
has any scent under the sea, the wood-violets and
little wild hyacinths puzzled her very much. " I
think these flowers at least can sing," she said to
Peleus, " although you say the trees cannot, for
something comes from them like strange soft
music, only, instead of hearing it, I seem to
breathe it."

The only thing that did not surprise her filled
Peleus in his turn with great wonder ; every bird
and beast would come to her when she called it,
ringdoves and woodpeckers came fluttering round
her, the baby rabbits scuttled to her feet, and even
the busy squirrels hurried down from the tree-
tops to look at her with wise bright eyes. " Little
brother " or " little sister " she called them all, for
she knew none of their names, till Peleus told
her. At noon they rested, and drank of a spring
that flowed from under a mossy rock, and in an
oak hard by, where bees were coming and going,
Peleus found a great store of honey, and Thetis
thought the honeycomb more delicious fare than
the food of the gods.

Towards evening they came to the cave, and
the Centaur met them upon the threshold.
" This is the Sea-King's daughter, O Chiron,"
said Peleus, " and she has brought you the yellow
poppies."

132 THE GOLDEN PORCH

" That is well, my son," said the Centaur, with
his grave, kind smile, " for I see that you have
need of the salve which I was preparing for you."
And at these words the sea-maiden looked at the
wounded arm of Peleus, and hid her face in her
hands. But Chiron laid his hand on her bent
head and asked her, " Are you content, daughter
of Nereus, to abide with this mortal, whom you
have followed hither ? '' Then she looked up
and said, " I am content. Where he dwells, I
will dwell, and where he goes, I will go. Though
he is a mortal man, and must bear the lot of men,
will not the high gods be gracious to one who is
fair and noble as themselves ? "

"The gods," answered Chiron, "are well
pleased, O Thetis, that you should wed this
youth, for they desire to honour him to the
utmost, because he has been found faithful and
true of heart. Nay, more, it is their pleasure to
come as guests to your marriage-feast, and ere
long they will be here. It is the night of the full
moon, and happiest are the bridals on which she
looks down in all her splendour. Come within,
my children ; the sun sinks apace, and Philyra
and Chariclo wait to array the bride."

Then they went in, and saw that Chiron had
made ready a great feast, and they marvelled at
his foreseeing of what had befallen. As the sun
set behind the hills, dim shapes began to move

PELEUS 133

rustling through the silent woods, and the lights
of pine-torches twinkled in the gloom of leaf-
canopied aisles. Peleus, whose tired limbs Chiron
had bathed and anointed with the healing balm,
came to the doorway, and looked forth into the
gathering dusk. He saw the lights, which drew
slowly nearer, and heard a noise as of a herd of
deer pattering over the fallen leaves, and above
it the sound of wild, sweet music. Soon he was
aware of a strange company coming towards him,
with torches and with garlands, playing on pipes
of reed, and dancing as they came. It was a
troop of Fauns, he knew, for he had once or
twice caught sight in the forest of one of those
shy creatures, like a beautiful sunburnt boy, but
goat-footed, and with curved horns peeping out
from the curls on his brow. And now, from the
grey stems of the great trees around came gliding
the tree-fairies, the lovely Dryads, one of whom
dwelt in every tree, and had her life bound up
with its life, so that when it fell she was no more.
There came also, following the piping of the
Fauns, whatever beast or bird is awake by night :
owls with solemn eyes, and prowling foxes, and a
wolf with her cubs, and a lion, that rolled at
Peleus' feet like a great dog. When all were
gathered about the cavern-door, the first beams
of the May moon lit up the open space before it
as she rose above the tree-tops. Then suddenly

134 THE GOLDEN PORCH

the air was filled with melody so divine that the
Fauns played no more, but threw down their
pipes and listened with awe-struck faces. Louder
grew the strain, as of harps and voices mingled,
and now through the clear heaven above rolled
a peal of thunder, and a trembling shook the
ground, while a great voice cried aloud, "We
are come, O Chiron, to the marriage of the Sea-
King's daughter." At that voice the Fauns and
Dryads bowed themselves to the ground, and
Peleus also. He heard the Centaur answer from
the threshold, " Hail, Lords of heaven and sea,
enter this my dwelling, for all things are ready,"
and lifting up his eyes, he saw before him a
throng of bright-robed forms, and in the midst
of them two kings, glorious to look upon. These
cast gracious glances on him as they passed into
the cave, while the celestial chant rang out again
from the lips of their followers, mingled with the
clear harmonies of the golden lyre that one
among them played upon. Last of that company
came that same shepherd lad whom Peleus had
seen three days ago, but now transfigured by the
bloom and radiance of a god, so that he knew
him to be Hermes. The messenger of the Im-
mortals now took him by the hand, bidding him
hail, and they went in together after the rest.
The great and lofty cavern-chamber was ablaze
with torchlights, and the heavenly guests were

PELEUS 135

seated in a half-circle on the rock-hewn bench
that ran round its upper end, tables covered with
all manner of woodland fare being set before
them. In the highest place, between Zeus and
Poseidon, sat the Sea-King's daughter, veiled
with a veil of silvery sheen ; it was woven out of
gossamer and moonbeams by the forest spiders,
who weave all the robes for the Dryads.
Hermes led Peleus through the hall and placed
him beside her, while all the Immortals gave him
greeting in joyous tones. And now the feast
went forward with mirth and laughter and re-
joicing, and the gods praised Chiron's good cheer,
the venison and oaten cakes and mountain-honey,
and drank the wine he poured for them into the
carved beechwood bowls. Peleus was glad to
see that the good Centaur had made the forest
guests welcome also ; the Fauns were feasting
merrily, couched on deerskins at the lower end of
the cavern, and all the beasts and birds had their
share of such food as they liked best. As for the
Dryads, they ate only honey, and drank a wine
that the Centaur had brewed from elder-blossom.
When all had their fill of banqueting, Apollo took
up his lyre and played, while the violet-crowned
Muses rose up and sang together. First they sang
the praise of Zeus their father, lord of all, and
next of the lovely bride, the pearl of the sea, whom
the gods had bestowed on Peleus for his exceed-

136 THE GOLDEN PORCH

ing great reward. The youth blushed deeply as
he listened, for now they told of his coming to
the house of Acastus, the false Queen's love for
him, and how he was faithful to the King, his
host. Then, as Apollo struck a deeper chord
from the pealing lyre, his own voice began to
lead the choral song, chanting words of prophecy.
For he, the minstrel of the gods, is also their
seer, having received from Themis herself that
gift of divining which Earth, her mother, gave
her. So now, with wide eyes gazing before him,
as though he saw a vision, the god sang thus of
the days to come. A wondrous child, the son of
Peleus and Thetis, shall be reared in this cave by
Chiron s fostering care. That child, even from six
summers old, shall hurl his small javelin with true
aim and godlike strength at bear and lion that prowl
near the cavern s mouth, and drag their still panting
carcases to the Centaur s feet. And Artemis,
goddess of the chase, and valiant Athena, will come
many a time to watch unseen those feats of the little
hunter. But when the boy, trained and taught by the
wise Centaur in all noble ways, comes to the prime of
his glorious youth, then, in the company of princely
warriors, he shall cross the seas and do battle with
mailed hosts beneath the walls of a far city, and win
himself an everlasting name. For, ages after that city
has fallen amid flames and slaughter, the lips of a
mortal minstrel, poor and blind, will sing the deeds of

PELEUS 137

the son of Thetis in such a deathless lay that his
memory shall endure till the end of time.

The song ceased, and all who heard it sat
awhile in silence, musing on that prophecy.
Then Zeus arose, and said, " The song of
Apollo is his marriage- gift to Peleus and to
Thetis ; now will I declare what is mine. Peleus,
in the strength I will give him, shall overthrow
with his single spear Acastus and all his soldiery,
and reign as king in his stead. Moreover, to him
and his children's children I will give wide king-
doms in other lands of Greece."

Then said Poseidon, " And I will make Thetis
queen of the coasts and headlands and all the bays
around them, where this land borders on the seas
of her ancient home, so shall she return as a great
princess, when she visits her father Nereus."

The rest of the gods also made promise of gifts,
and each of the goddesses decked the Sea-King's
daughter with a golden necklace or girdle or
bracelet of her own, wrought by the cunning
hand of Hephaestus, the divine craftsman. It
was now midnight, and the torches began to burn
low in the vaulted chamber ; once more Apollo's
lyre was heard, but now he played a stately
marching measure, and all the guests passed
singing together out of the cavern. Peleus and
Thetis rose up and followed them into the moon-
light, for Chiron said, " Go now, my children,

138 THE GOLDEN PORCH

with those who will lead you to the home pre-
pared for you." Now when they came forth
upon the lawn, the heaven-dwelling gods were
gone ; only the Fauns, with relighted torches,
and the Dryads, with hands full of flowers,
thronged about them with laughter and with
greetings. And so, led by the forest people, to
the sound of their sweet wild pipings, they went
together into the green heart of the woods.
The owls hooted softly overhead as they went
along, and the wolf cubs trotted beside them, till
they came to the hunting-lodge which Peleus
had built for himself of unbarked fir-logs, and
thatched with reeds and moss. The door stood
open, and they saw a wood-fire burning on the
hearth within. Then, because he knew that a
bride must not set foot upon the door-sill when
she is brought home, Peleus lifted the Sea-King's
daughter across the threshold in his arms, and
they two were left alone.

CHAPTER III

IT was summer once again in the green forest,
when Chiron lay one evening in the doorway of
his cave, thinking of the young, beloved guest
who housed with him so long. He had seen
Peleus no more since his marriage-night ; but he
had heard how King Acastus had sought for him

PELEUS 139

far and near to take his life, and how vengeance
overtook that persecutor at last. For, according
to the sure promise of Zeus, Peleus had gone
down alone to lolcos and taken it single-handed,
putting to rout the King and all his host with no
helper but his own good spear. Now he slew
Acastus in the fight, and when the wicked Queen
Hippolyta saw what was done, she hanged herself.
So Peleus was lord of the city, but he loathed it
when he thought on the end of those two. There-
fore, he sent for valiant princes, his friends, out
of the north country, and gave them the city to
dwell in, and himself went to that country and
ruled it in their stead. And there, as Chiron heard,
he built a fair palace by the sea for the daughter
of Nereus.

While the old Centaur was thus musing in the
twilight, Peleus himself came softly over the
mossy turf and stood beside him. But Chiron,
wrapped in thought, neither saw nor heard his
coming. Then Peleus gently laid a bundle, rolled
in a purple cloak, at his friend's feet, and a tiny
cry came from the bundle. At that Chiron started
up, and saw who was come to him, and he gave
Peleus loving greeting. " My son," he said,
" often have I longed to see your face again, and
even now I was thinking of you. But what cry
did I hear at hand, like the cry of a motherless
lamb ? Alas, why weep you at these words ? '

1 40 THE GOLDEN PORCH

" O Chiron," said Peleus, " it is indeed a mother-
less lamb I bring you," and he unrolled the cloak
and put a yellow-haired babe into the Centaur's
arms. " Take my little son," he said, " and be
tender to him, with the tenderness you show to
every helpless thing, for there is none to rear him
in my desolate house." And for very grief he
could say no more. But the babe, who was beau-
tiful as the day, looked into Chiron's wise old face
and smiled, and Chiron said, " See, already he is
without fear, this child who is to be so great a
warrior." Then he called Philyra and Chariclo,
those gentle nurses of many a hero, and gave the
babe into their keeping ; but he himself made
ready supper for Peleus without more words, for
he saw that his sorrow was great. Nor did he
ask him any more questions till he had cheered
him with food and wine, and they were sitting
together, as of old, beside the hearth. Then,
laying his hand on the young man's shoulder, he
said, " Will you not tell me now, my son, what
this sorrow is, which I can but guess at, that if I
cannot help you, at least I may strive to comfort
you ? " " Little I thought," said Peleus, " when
I left this cave the happiest of mortals, that ever
I should come back with such tidings as I must
tell you now. The daughter of Nereus has for-
saken me and our child, and gone back to the
Sea-King's halls. She told me at the beginning that

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THE NEW YORK
PUBLIC LIBTU

AS TOR, LENOX AND
TILDEN FOUNDATIONS.

PELEUS 141

she must leave me for ever the first time I crossed
her in anything, for such, she said, is the way of
all the sea-people. And when the babe was born,
I woke one night and saw her steal out of our
chamber carrying it in her arms, and I followed
her, to see what she would do. She went into the
hall, where the fire still burned on the hearth, and
there, horror-stricken, I saw her thrust the child
into the glowing embers. Who could see that
and not do as I did ? Yet the reproachful look
Thetis gave me, as I snatched the babe from her,
pierced me to the soul. ' Did I not warn you,'
she said, ' never to cross me ? Had you not hin-
dered, I would have made the child weapon-proof
from head to heel by the power of flame. But I
must leave that work undone. Farewell, fare-
well ! ' With that, quick as a lightning-flash,
she darted from the hall and from the palace,
and flung herself into the sea."

Chiron listened without wonder to this strange
story, for he knew both the nature of the sea-
people and the magic they can work. " Be com-
forted, Peleus," he said ; " remember how Apollo
prophesied in his song that your son should be
reared in this cave of mine ; it was fated, then,
that his mother should thus leave him. And
though Thetis is lost to you now, yet if you wait
patiently, sure I am that she will come to you
again at last, never to leave you more. For

1 42 THE GOLDEN PORCH

happiness must come, in the end, of bridals which
the high gods blest with their presence."

The kindly Centaur's words soothed the grief
of Peleus, and brought him new hope. " I will
be patient," he said ; " and as for the child, I
remembered the song of Apollo, and it lightened
my heart a little to think of his growing up in
your care, my wise and tender teacher. But tell
me now, why Thetis said her work was not finished,
and by what magic the babe passed unhurt through
the flame ? "

" Fire has no power on the bodies of the
Immortals," said Chiron, " nor or on any living
thing, so long as an Immortal has hold of it. So
the babe was safe while Thetis held it, and its
flesh is weapon-proof wherever the flame touched
it, for what fire does not burn, it makes unwound-
able. But to finish her work, Thetis must have
plunged the child into the fire a second time,
because where her hand grasped it, there the flame
could not reach."

" She held it by one heei," said Peleus.

" That heel, then," said the Centaur, " is the
one spot where your son can be wounded."

Thus they talked together till far into the
night, and on the morrow Peleus departed to his
own home. At his going, Chiron asked him what
he should call his son, and he said, " Achilles is
the name his mother gave him."

PELEUS 143

The little Achilles was the fairest and the most
bold-hearted of all the good Centaur's foster-
children, and soon was dearer to him than even
the beautiful Jason had been, or Asclepios the
healer. In his very babyhood, he began to love
the hunter's sport not less than Peleus his father
did, and his first plaything was a little bow and
arrow that he begged for as soon as he could
speak. With these he would shoot from the
doorway of the cave at prowling wolf or bear,
but when he was six summers old, he could not
be content till Chiron gave him leave to go hunt-
ing in the forest. And that day another prophecy
was fulfilled, for at sunset the Centaur, looking
forth from the cavern, saw the little boy running
towards him, dragging the still panting carcase of
a huge wild boar, and he saw too, though Achilles
could not, two stately forms moving beside him.
One was clad in shining armour, with a golden
helm upon her golden hair, and a great spear in
her hand ; the other, still taller, and slender as
a young poplar, wore the short garb and leathern
buskins of a hunter, and carried a silver bow. It
was the great Athena, and Artemis, the Lady of
the Wild Things, who walked, smiling, beside the
marvellous child, and not then only, but through
all his boyhood, they loved to watch his daring,
and his strength like a young god's.

Now Chiron taught Achilles all his precepts

i 4 4 THE GOLDEN PORCH

of wisdom, and the perfect ways of honour and
courtesy, but warrior-skill and hunting-craft he
had no need to teach him, for they were his by
nature. So swift of foot was he, that he could
run down the hart and the roebuck ; so strong, that
he could take bison and boar alive, without help
of hounds or hunting-nets. And though he had
seen no weapon but bow and spear, of those he
had such mastery from his infant days, that
Chiron knew no warrior could stand against him.
So the years went by, until Chiron heard from
the birds, his newsbringers, that a great war was
toward, for a king in the South was gathering a
mighty host to sail against a distant city. And
Troy, the birds told him, was the city's name.
When Chiron heard that, he called Achilles to
him, and said, " My child, it was in this cave that
your mother's marriage feast was held, and all
the gods came to it, to bless the bridals, and
bright Apollo uttered in song the destiny that
was in store for you. I see now the beginning
of those things which he foretold, and the time is
come for you to return to your father's house,
that you may go the way Fate has prepared for
those swift feet of yours. Farewell, last and
dearest of my fosterlings; I know that I must
see your face no more, and yet I cannot grieve
at your departing, when I remember Apollo's
prophecy and the glory that you are so soon

PELEUS 145

to win." Thus he took leave of the youth, and
sent him away that same hour to Phthia, the
country of Peleus in the North. Achilles found
his father dwelling in the palace by the sea,
which he had called the House of Thetis, in
honour of his bride. Peleus beheld him with
joy, and said, " Welcome, my beloved son ; I
know you are come at the good Centaur's bidding,
for he promised me long ago to send you home
to me when the right time came."

Now Thetis had learnt from Nereus, who could
foresee it all, what her child's doom must be, if
ever he went to war, and when the old Sea-King
told her that messengers were even then on their
way to seek him in the house of Peleus, and
summon him to the gathering of princes against
Troy, she resolved to prevent them. She rose
up through the sea that night, and glided silently
to the bedside of Achilles, and carried him away
in his sleep to an island called Scyros. So, when
he awoke, behold he was lying on an unknown
shore, and saw a strange and beautiful lady bend-
ing over him. Then Thetis made herself known
to her son, and prayed him, if he had any love
for his mother, to do what she would now bid
him without questioning, for if he would not,
she said with tears, a grievous thing must befall
her. And Achilles promised to obey her, re-
membering the teaching of Chiron, how he said

K

146 THE GOLDEN PORCH

that next to the immortal gods, father and
mother must be reverenced. Forthwith Thetis
dressed the youth in a broidered robe, and when
she had combed out his long fair hair with a
comb of pearl, he seemed a tall blooming maiden.
"I will bring you now," she said, "to the king
of this isle, who is a friend to me and my
people, and will say to him that you are a maid
I have saved from shipwreck. At my request,
he will lodge you for a while with the princess,
his daughter, and do you, for my sake, take
heed that no one discovers you are not what
you seem."

So she brought him to the king's house, and
he became the loved companion of the young
princess and her maidens ; and in their games,
the new playmate was always winner, but in
weaving and spinning was so clumsy that they
made great sport of her.

But the day after Thetis stole away Achilles,
those messengers whom she feared came to Peleus
saying, "King Agamemnon is marshalling a host
to sail against Troy, and princes who love peril
and renown are gathered to him from many lands.
We are come from him to greet you, and to pray
you to send your young son along with us, for a
seer has revealed that Troy cannot be taken save
by a warrior sprung from Peleus."

" He shall surely go with your host," answered

PELEUS 147

Peleus, " and not alone, for I will send fifty ships,
well manned, to Agamemnon's aid."

Then he sent to call Achilles before the mes-
sengers, but he could not be found. Now the
messengers were King Agamemnon's herald, and
a certain prince by name Odysseus. This Odys-
seus was the wiliest of men, and the most keen-
witted, and it came into his thought that Peleus
had heard of the war, and hidden his son betimes
that he might not go into danger. "Swear to us,
King," he said, " that you are not beguiling us,
for how can your son have gone hence, and you
know nothing of it ? " Peleus had a mind to
give him an angry answer, but he refrained him-
self, and called Zeus to witness that he knew not
what was become of Achilles. " This, then, is
the work of some god," said Odysseus, and he
departed with the herald. Now this subtle prince
was very greatly favoured by Athena, for that
goddess loves valour much, but prudence more,
and Odysseus, though no coward, was better in
council than in fight. So he had not gone far on
his road, when she met him in the likeness of an
old seaman, and said, "The lad you seek, Odys-
seus, is in Scyros, for I saw him there." " I will
take ship and go find him," said Odysseus.
"That will not be easy," said the seeming old
man ; " he dwells in the king's house in the guise
of a maiden, and none has guessed his secret but

148 THE GOLDEN PORCH

myself, who knew his face aforetime." " Never-
theless, I will go," said Odysseus, " for I think I
know a way to tell a youth from a girl and
disguise is a trick that others can play besides
Achilles."

Not many days after, an old pedlar came to the
king's house in Scyros, and the princess and her
maidens flocked into the hall to see his wares.
The pedlar spread out his great pack, and showed
them all his rarities snowy lawn of Cyprus,
shawls of Tyrian purple, necklaces of amber,
and golden girdles studded with Eastern tur-
quoise. He eyed the girls keenly while they
eagerly fingered the trinkets, and chaffered with
him over such as pleased their fancy, and he
marked that one only looked carelessly on, and
chose nothing. And to her the princess said,
" Pyrrha, my sweet, do you care for none of these
pretty things ? Come, choose some jewel, what
you will, and let me make you a gift of it." But
Pyrrha answered, " Nay, dearest princess, I have
no mind to any of these baubles." At that, the
pedlar smiled, and the princess said to him,
"Old man, have you shown us all your store?
If you have kept some choice trinket to the last,
as pedlars use, let Pyrrha see if it pleases her
better than the rest."

"Gracious lady," said the pedlar, "I have one
thing left, but it is no toy to please a maiden."

PELEUS 149

So saying, he drew from its wrappings a sword
of rare workmanship, ivory-hilted, with golden
lions inwrought on its blade of dark-blue steel.
Pyrrha's eyes sparkled at sight of it ; she took
it from his hand, poised it in her own, and cried,
"This is the gift for me, if the pedlar asks not
too great a price for such a goodly weapon."

"It is yours without a price," answered the
pedlar, "if you dare use it Achilles!' And
suddenly he tore off beard and coarse mantle,
and stood before them a bronze-corsleted warrior.
For he was none other than Odysseus, and this
was how he found the son of Peleus. "There is
some treachery," cried the princess, and she fled
out of the hall with the other maidens. Achilles
was both ashamed and angry that he had betrayed
himself to this cunning stranger, but Odysseus
with artful words soon changed his mood, telling
him of the glory to be won at Troy, and how
Peleus himself desired to send him with twenty
ships to that war. Then Achilles forgot all else
in eagerness for that great adventure, and would
have sailed that very hour in the ship of Odysseus
which waited him in a lonely bay, but he said,
" If I go with you to the host in these maiden's
robes, I shall be shamed for ever." " That have
I cared for," said Odysseus, and he unrolled a
bale of fine linen, and took out a suit of armour,
and clad the youth in it, girding him with the

150 THE GOLDEN PORCH

sword. At that moment the King came in to
them from the fields, for he had been watching
the sowers, and his daughter had run to him
there. " Ah, son of Thetis," he said, " you,
then, were the maiden your mother bade me
harbour. I guessed so much, when I heard my
daughter's tale, for I knew Achilles was the name
that gracious sea-queen gave her child. Now, as
I hear, you are found by this stranger. Let me
understand, I pray, what brings him here."
Straightway Odysseus told his errand, and to
win the King upon his side, he declared the
prophecy that Troy could not be taken without
help of one sprung from Peleus. This the King
no sooner heard than he desired to have alliance
with the youth who was destined to such great-
ness, and said, " How blessed is Peleus, who has
a son so highly favoured of the gods. Would
that I too might hear Achilles call me father."
" King of Scyros," said the youth, with a rosy
blush, "if your fair daughter can love Achilles
as she loved Pyrrha, it would please me well to
call you by that name. But this is no time for
marrying or giving in marriage, and I must
begone."

" Nay," said the King, " what needs such haste ?
Let Odysseus go to Phthia and take the fifty
ships your father promised to where the host is
mustering, and stay you here meanwhile. We

PELEUS 1 5 1

will have your wedding this very day, and in
seven days you also shall sail to the trysting-
place. So will no time be lost, for Odysseus will
take seven days in going and returning."

And Odysseus consented to go, but before he
left them he said, "I hear of you, Achilles, that
you hate a lie worse than death. Pledge me
your word, therefore, that in seven days you will
come without fail to the harbour of Aulis, for
that is the trysting- place." So Achilles gave his
word, and forthwith Odysseus departed.

Now the King had told his daughter whom he
guessed Pyrrha to be, and she wept bitterly be-
cause her loved playmate was no maiden, as she
thought, but a youth who perhaps had scorned
her all this time in secret for her girlish ways.
And she had offered him one of those glittering
trifles (baubles, he called them, truly), whose
rightful wear was the armour of a prince ! It
seemed to her that she could never look him
in the face again for very shame, and she stole
away by herself, and went down to the seashore,
and sat there, weeping. Presently she began to
reproach Thetis aloud for what she had done,
calling seaward, and saying, " O Lady of the
waves, why have you dealt so evilly with us ?
Do not we of this isle honour you and your
sisters above all the goddesses, because of your
kindly help to our fishermen ? Many a boat

152 THE GOLDEN PORCH

have you brought safe to shore in tempest, many
a great shoal of tunny have you driven into their
nets, but have we ever forgotten to be grateful ?
If you had trusted my father with the truth
about the guest you brought him, I had not
been shamed this day."

Then Thetis, rising through the deep, came to
her where she sat, and she too was weeping.
" King's daughter," she said, " it was to save
my child from doom that I hid him here, for
he must fall in battle if he goes where the hate-
ful Odysseus seeks to take him. Yes, it was
Odysseus, that crafty fox, who played the pedlar,
and now he has found Achilles, he will bend
him to his purpose with cunning words. But
you, if you have any pity for my son, may save
him yet."

" I would give my life for his," said the
princess, casting down her eyes; "only tell me
what I must do." Thetis smiled through her
tears, and answered, "I will tell you that on
our way to the palace. Come, let us be goin^,
for I am in haste to meet my son." So as
they went together, Thetis told the princess that
she was to be married to Achilles that same
day, and prayed her to keep him from going
forth to Troy. " How can I do that ? " asked
the princess. " Ask him what he will give you
for a bride-gift," said Thetis, " and he will bid

PELEUS 153

you choose what you will. Then say you choose
the granting of the first request you make to
him, and let that request be, that he will not
leave you for a year."

Now when they came to the palace, they
found all things ready for the marriage, and the
maidens were waiting to deck the bride in her
finest jewels and array, and when they had attired
her, Thetis set her own crown of pearls on her
hair, saying, " These are the bride-price my son
pays on his marriage, as the custom is." Then
were Achilles and the princess wedded, with
pomp and great rejoicings, and the King held
a feast for all comers. And after the marriage,
the princess sought a gift from Achilles, as
Thetis had counselled, and he bade her choose
what she would. " I desire nothing but this,"
she said, " that you will grant the first request
I shall make."

" Deiodamia," said Achilles (that was the name
of the princess), " I love you too well to refuse
anything you ask me, if it be not against my
honour to do it. Prove me now, and let me
hear your first request." But when she asked
him to stay with her for a year, he told her
that could not be, for he had given his word
to Odysseus to set sail for Aulis in seven days.
Nor could all her tears and entreaties move him
to break his promise, although his soul was

i 5 4 THE GOLDEN PORCH

troubled at her distress. So, on the seventh
day they parted, with many a tender, sad fare-
well ; heavy were their young hearts that day,
and dark forebodings came to them that they
should see each other no more for ever. Yet
Achilles comforted his bride as best he might,
bidding her hope for his return with a victor's
spoils from the war, and then, not to grieve
him too sorely, she feigned better cheer, and
looked her last on him with a smile. Thus
the son of Peleus and the Sea-King's daughter
went forth to Troy, as it was ordained ; but
what befell him there of sorrow and glory we
leave untold, for such matters are too high and
moving for a mere fairy-tale.

THE LAD WITH ONE SANDAL

CHAPTER I

THERE was a king in the olden time, whose
name was Pelias, and he dwelt in the fair
harbour-town of lolcos, ruling a folk that were
famous seafarers from the beginning. A bold
man was he, and a crafty, but he went ever in
fear of his life, for he had an ill deed on his
conscience, and his sleep of nights was broken by
dreams which boded a bitter reckoning for the
same. Many and many a time he awoke with a
shriek, as a dagger seemed to touch his throat,
but the dream-shape that brandished it was dim
and wavering, and he could never descry the
countenance of that phantom foe. At last he
sent a trusty messenger to the holy place of
Delphi, where Apollo reveals hidden things to
mortals by the mouth of his priestess, to ask
the interpretation of the vision. For he thought,
"If I can but learn what man it is whose
wraith appears to me, I shall make short work
with him, and rid myself of this dread in which
I live." The messenger returned, and brought

I5S

156 THE GOLDEN PORCH

this answer from the god : " Let Pelias know
that the doom he dreams of will come from the
hand of a near kinsman. I bid him beware,
above all else, of the man who comes to him
wearing one sandal, whether he be a stranger, or
born and bred in lolcos."

When King Pelias heard this message, his blood
froze with fear ; it was indeed death, then, that
the dreams foreboded. Yet it was some comfort
that now at least he had a sign whereby to know
when the danger drew near, and he still hoped
that he might forestall it if he kept good watch.
So he set guards day and night about his palace,
and watchmen at all the city gates, and gave
strict charge to them all to bring him instant
warning, if ever they should see a man with one
sandal. And as time went on, his heart grew
somewhat lightened of its dread, for there was
no such comer seen, arid the evil dreams ceased
to visit him.

But he that was foretold came in his destined
hour to lolcos, out of the mountains to the
northward, and stood in the market-place, while
it was yet morning, and the throng of folk was
greatest. The watchmen at the gate had seen
him pass, but they paid no heed to one who
seemed a mere lad, and by his dress a hunter
from the hill-country.

This youth carried two hunting-spears, and

THE LAD WITH ONE SANDAL 157

instead of a cloak a leopard skin hung from his
shoulders, above a close-fitting tunic ; his head was
uncovered, and his long curls flamed golden-red
in the sunlight. It was easy to guess, from the
shy and wondering glances he cast about him,
that he was new to the sights of a city, yet he
bore himself with the noble grace of a king's son,
and as he stood there silent, many eyes were drawn
to the beauty of his face, and his stature, lofty as
a god's. Men began to whisper to one another,
asking who the stranger was, and when none
could answer, a murmur went to and fro among
the crowd that one of the Immortals was come
among them.

"So might Apollo look," they muttered, "or
the mailed warrior Ares, fair and terrible. Surely
this is some god, or the son of a god."

" Nay, friends," said some of the old men,
"the gods come not thus in the sight of multi-
tudes. Rather should we guess this mighty youth
to be of that old race of the Earth-born Giants,
but they all have perished long since, and only
their huge graves are left for a witness to our

days."

Now, while the folks talked thus under their
breaths, and durst not, for reverence, question
the godlike stranger, a man of the King's house-
hold gazed with the rest, and marked on a
sudden that he wore but the one sandal. For it

158 THE GOLDEN PORCH

chanced, as the youth crossed the ford of a
mountain stream on his way to the city, that
its fellow slipped from his foot and was carried
away by the torrent. Quickly did that hench-
man bring word to the palace, and at his tidings,
King Pelias came in hot haste to the market-
place, urging the swift mules of his ivory car to
their utmost speed. " Way there for the King,"
cried the slaves who ran beside him, and he drew
rein in a cleared space, whence all the people had
drawn back for his coming, save the stranger
lad only. Pelias scanned him eagerly, and his
soul sickened with affright as he saw the dreaded
token of the single sandal on his right foot. But
he cloaked the fear within him with haughty
words, and said, eying the lad disdainfully,
" Stranger, what country do you call home ?
What grey-haired carline of low degree mothered
such a dainty pet ? Come, speak out your paren-
tage, and disgrace it not with detested lying."

Then the youth, undaunted, yet with gentlest
courtesy, made reply

" It is mine, rather, to render such answer as
shall not disgrace the great Chiron, my teacher.
For my home has been in his mountain-cave, and
I had my rearing from the virtuous wife and
mother of that wise Centaur. Twenty years have
I numbered in the care of these foster-parents,
and never yet done dishonour to their upbringing

THE LAD WITH ONE SANDAL 159

by deceitful act or word. But now I am come
again to my own native land, to claim the ancient
rights that were my father's, which Pelias, as
I hear, holds in unlawful possession, even this
kingdom of lolcos."

" Do you call yourself, then, the son of
Aeson," cried the King, " who ruled this land
until a better than he took it from him ? Who
knows not that his only child died at its birth ? "

" Not so, for I am that child," answered the
stranger ; " but when Pelias, moved by reckless
desires, had overthrown his kinsman King Aeson
with force and fraud, then for fear of that violent
oppressor, my parents feigned that their new-
born son was dead, and made great mourning,
with all their household. Then, at dead of night,
they sent me privily out of the city, a babe
wrapped in swaddling-bands of royal crimson,
and at their bidding faithful friends conveyed me
to Chiron's cave, where I might be reared in
safety. And Jason was the name by which that
twy-natured Being was wont to call me. Such
in brief is my story, and now, good townsmen,
since you know me for your countryman, come
back to his own city, which of you will show me
the ancient house of my fathers, that I know not,
though I was born there ? "

Before Jason made an end of speaking, King
Pelias turned his mules and drove at a furious

160 THE GOLDEN PORCH

pace back to the palace ; he knew that the folk
held him in secret hate because he had dethroned
Aeson, that gentle king, and he feared lest they
should rise against him then and there, when
they heard the lad with one sandal declare himself
their rightful prince. But Jason also hurried
from the market-place, eagerly following a band
of willing guides. One thing he had not found
courage to ask of a company of strangers, and
would wait to learn within the doors of his home
was his father yet alive ? Chiron had told him
nothing of the old man's fate, only had bidden
him go to lolcos and claim his heritage from
the usurper. Now when he was come to the
house, and entered through its pillared porch,
he crossed a wide courtyard, empty and silent,
where grass was springing from the cracked pave-
ment of marble, and in the hall beyond it he
saw no one but an aged man, wrapped in a faded
mantle, sitting in a low chair beside the embers
of the hearth. The once lordly chamber was
bare of furnishing ; dust lay thick upon the floor,
and cobwebs, where rich hangings should have
been, drooped curtainwise from lintel and cornice.
The home the youth had come to seemed a house
of the dead, deserted save for that motionless
figure cowering over the dying fire. But as he
moved towards it, the snow-white head turned
slowly, the dim eyes looked him in the face, and

THE LAD WITH ONE SANDAL 161

a trembling voice rang through the silence,
" My son, my son ! ' Jason sprang to the old
king, for he indeed it was, and clasped him to
his breast, while tears of joy fell fast from those
withered eyelids. It was long before Aeson
could find words, in the rapture of beholding
his son, come back to him the fairest and good-
liest of men, but he told at last how Pelias had
stripped him little by little of all he possessed,
on this pretext or that, till neither broad lands,
nor flocks and herds, nor the rich treasures of
his house were left, and he himself, with a few
old slaves that tended him for love, lived on
the secret doles of his well-wishers among the
citizens.

" How comes it, my father," asked Jason,
" that your two brethren have suffered you to
be so evilly entreated of this tyrant, seeing that
each of them is a king in his own country, if
indeed they yet live ? "

" They live and prosper," answered his father,
" but it is far from hence to where they dwell,
and they begrudge to waste blood and treasure
in the cause of a feeble old man that cannot
have long to live. But word will quickly reach
them that you are home again, and when they
hear what manner of young man their brother's
son is become, I am much mistaken or they will
think his cause worth battling for. Be you

L

1 62 THE GOLDEN PORCH

patient till we have news of them, for it comes
in my mind that we shall shortly see either them-
selves, or the princes, your cousins."

The old king was a true prophet, and before
many days, so swiftly spread the rumour of
Jason's return, those two brethren and their sons
came to greet him at lolcos. The name of one
was Pheres, and his son was called Admetus;
these two were men of gracious and winning
presence, speaking words of pleasantness, but their
souls within them were little and mean. Amy-
thaon, the other brother, was king in the far
south-west ; he had a name for wisdom, but the
son he brought with him had yet a greater in
the after time. For he was that Melampus of
whom you may read in the tale of " The Prince
who was a Seer."

Jason and his father made these kinsmen right
welcome, although their hearts misgave them for
the bareness of their ancient dwelling and for
the wherewithal to feast the princes and their
following. But at the first word that Aeson's
kinsmen were come to visit him, the townsfolk
rejoiced openly because at last strong helpers had
appeared for the oppressed king, and they feared
not to make their gladness and goodwill manifest
by bringing him gifts in abundance of everything
needful to entertain his guests. Such store of
sheep and oxen, of corn and wine and oil, of

THE LAD WITH ONE SANDAL 163

tables, couches, vessels of every sort, and all
manner of household stuffs, as was gathered that
day in Aeson's courtyard, had not been seen
within its gates for many a long year. More-
over, the wealthier citizens sent their house-
thralls both men and maids, by the score, to
grind the corn, to bake, and dress meat for the
banquet, and to serve the king and his kins-
folk in the hall. So that night there was feasting
and good cheer, torchlight and merry stir, in the
house that had so long been silent and deserted.

Now Jason had the charge of all, and gave
command as master, because of his father's great
age and infirmity, and carried himself as a princely
host should do, overlooking no point of courtesy,
so that it was a marvel to his guests how he had
come by these manners in the cave of a Centaur.
For they knew not noble Chiron, who in the after
time reared Prince Peleus in the like gracious
ways, and compassed for him his marriage with
the Sea-King's daughter, as I have told already.

Then, to do his kinsmen all honour, Jason
feasted them with the best for five days and five
nights, saying no word of the matter he had at
heart, but tasting in their company the delicious
joy of life at its sweetest.

But on the sixth day he began to speak of
graver things, and when he had opened all his
mind to them, they gave full consent to that

1 64 THE GOLDEN PORCH

which he declared it his purpose now to do, and
rising all together from the banquet, they followed
him forthwith to the house of Pelias. At the
sound of their voices in his hall, King Pelias
came hastily from the inner chambers to meet
them, and then, with fair-flowing speech of gentle
tone, Jason spoke thus : " Son of a mighty sire,
over quick are mortals to barter justice for the
wages of iniquity, forgetting that the hour of
reckoning must overtake them soon or late. But
it well beseems both you and me to rule our
hearts aright, and take thought what shall bring
us good in days to come. Call to remembrance,
I pray you, that your fathers and mine were of
one blood, and that the divine Dispensers of
weal and woe to men turn their faces from the
sight of feuds between kindred. Let there be
neither strife nor drawing of swords between us
two, to make division of the great inheritance of
our forefathers ; for if you will follow my coun-
sel, it shall not need. See now, I freely yield the
rich lands, and all the goodly flocks and herds, of
which you have despoiled the old man, my father ;
little care I for the wealth these bring into your
house, only do you on your part restore me the
sceptre that was Aeson's, and the kingly seat
where he gave judgment to his people. These, I
say, yield up and grudge me not, lest a worse
thing come of it."

THE LAD WITH ONE SANDAL 165

Now Pelias was no ways minded to give up
the kingship, even though he might keep all the
fatness of the land for his own, and besides, he
was utterly purposed to destroy the lad with the
one sandal, because of the oracle he had heard
concerning him. While Jason was yet speaking,
his swift and cunning mind devised a plan for
his undoing, and he answered with a show of
mildness, in these words : " Behold, I will deal
according to your pleasure in all things, but I am
now stricken in years, and you are in the flower
of your youth, therefore it is for you to under-
take a certain task that else were mine. Hear
now what it is, since you seek to be head over all
our kindred, for the matter touches him most
nearly who is chief of our house. There was a
prince of our blood, Athamas by name, whose
wife died and left him with two young children,
and in no long time he wedded another. Now
this second bride proved a cruel stepdame, and
when sons were born to her, she plotted death for
Phrixus, the eldest born of the first wife, that
her own children might inherit the kingdom. She
caused all the seed sown in the land to be secretly
poisoned, and when many that ate the corn
sickened and died, she brought her husband to
believe that the gods had sent a pestilence on the
people, which must be stayed by some great sacri-
fice. Then did she bribe a wicked seer to declare

1 66 THE GOLDEN PORCH

that the wrath of the gods could be turned away
by no other victim than the King's first-born son.
But when the boy Phrixus was laid on the altar-
stone, and the knife upraised to slay him, the
gods delivered him out of her hands in wondrous
wise. For a ram with curly fleece of gold
stood suddenly on the altar, and while all shrank
back amazed, the boy threw himself upon its
back, and it rose with him into the air. Over
land and sea it flew till it brought him to the

o

country of the Colchians in the unknown regions
far northward, and there, by divine bidding, he
sacrificed it to Ares, god of the land, and hung
its golden fleece on a tree of his sacred grove.
But that fleece of gold was the bane of the
hapless youth not long after, for the king of the
Colchians put him to death only to possess the
marvellous thing. And now, O Jason, I would
have you go to yonder land, and take the Golden
Fleece from the keeping of that savage king,
since I am given to know that our murdered
kinsman's spirit cannot rest till this be done.
Yes, such is the message his unquiet ghost has
sent me in a dream, and when I sought counsel
of the god at Delphi, answer came from the
place of prophecy, that I should straightway
launch a ship to sail on the hallowed quest.
This quest, then, do you pledge yourself to
follow in my stead, and I will swear a solemn

THE LAD WITH ONE SANDAL 167

oath, making Zeus my witness, to yield you the
kingdom."

Now all the tale Pelias told concerning Phrixus
was true, but as for the dream and the message
from Delphi, they were falsehoods cunningly de-
vised to send Jason on a quest wherein he should
surely perish. But the youth neither knew guile
in his own heart, nor looked for it in another, so
he made the covenant that Pelias asked, and took
leave of him, rilled with eagerness to achieve so
strange an adventure. Then forthwith he sent
out heralds to proclaim everywhere that he was
bound on a perilous voyage, and would make
all welcome to sail along with him who loved
danger and renown better than to dwell at home
in ignoble safety. At those tidings, high-hearted
sons of kings gathered to lolcos from far and
near, for Queen Hera filled their hearts with
keen desire to be Jason's shipmates, because she
favoured him above all mortals from the day he
came to the city to his life's end. And this was
the reason : when he came to the ford where he
lost his sandal, he saw an old beggar-woman
sitting on the bank, crying and bewailing herself
because she could not cross the rain-swollen
stream. Jason spoke kindly to her, and, though
she was both ragged and dirty, he took her up in
his arms and carried her over. No sooner had he
set her down again than her bent and shrunken

1 68 THE GOLDEN PORCH

form was changed into that of a fair woman in
her prime, and her rags into shining raiment, and
she said to him, " For this good deed, count me
your friend for ever." Thereupon she vanished
from his sight, and he went on his way with
gladness, knowing that one of the Immortals had
appeared to him in this shape. Now the beggar-
woman was Hera, who was wandering that day
on earth, to see what kindness mortals would
show to one so feeble and wretched.

So the flower of all the heroes who then lived
came to the house of Aeson, making offer to sail
with Jason on the quest. The first who came
were two noble youths in armour of gleaming
silver ; so like they were that none might know
one from the other, and their silver chariot was
drawn by horses white as snow. These were the
twin brothers, Castor and Polydeuces, who for
the great love they bore each other were never
parted their lives long, nor did even death sunder
them at the last. The next comer had neither
chariot nor shining armour, but trudged on foot,
bearing a great bow and quiver, with a tawny
lion-skin girt about his sinewy, sun-browned
limbs. He was a man in the prime of life, of
gallant bearing, though without height or comeli-
ness of person, and he passed unremarked through
the crowd that were drawn to Jason's door to
gaze on those glorious Twins.

THE LAD WITH ONE SANDAL 169

But they, when they saw him stand within the
hall, rose up in deepest reverence as at the coming
of a god, and Jason also, for he knew by the
lion-skin and bow that this was Heracles himself.
Much had he heard from Chiron of that great
helper of men, and he gazed with awe and wonder
on him who had done such mighty deeds by land
and sea. But now came into the hall a young
minstrel clad in flowing robe of white, with a
chaplet of ivy on his fair hair. " I also, Jason,"
he said, " would fain be of your crew, though I
have no weapon but this harp of mine. I am
Orpheus of Thrace, come hither at Apollo's bid-
ding, that your brave company may not lack
for the minstrelsy warriors love so well." Right
gladly did the princes there assembled welcome
that sweet singer, whose fame was gone out into
all lands ; of him it was told that beasts and birds,
nay, the trees and rocks of the Thracian moun-
tains, would follow the sound of his enchanting
lyre.

It were long to tell what other heroes of ancient
story mustered in Jason's hall that day, but none
were so wondrous to behold as the last comers,
Zetes and Calais, sons of the North Wind, who
had bright feathered wings waving from their
shoulders.

Meanwhile, the best-skilled craftsmen of lolcos
had wrought busily under Jason's watchful eye

i yo THE GOLDEN PORCH

at the building of his ship ; the tallest pines on
Mount Pelion, whose woody top overhung the
cave of Chiron, had been felled for her masts and
timbers, and her fifty stout oars were hewn from
giant ash-trees. When all was finished, and the
good ship lay ready for launching, her young
captain summoned his new comrades to the
harbour, and said to them, " Here, noble friends,
is the bark that shall carry us to the far Colchian
land, well found with all we need for the long
voyage." Then all the heroes clapped their
hands at sight of the ship, and they called her
Argo, that is to say, the Swift. And now Jason
called upon Mopsos the seer, that dwelt in lolcos,
to offer sacrifice to Zeus, and entreat him for
favourable signs at their setting forth, which the
god granted both by the omens of the altar and
by the lucky fall of lots that the seer cast to
tell their fortunes. So that wise soothsayer bade
them embark with all speed, for the hour was
propitious to their sailing. But a greater sign
followed, for when all were come aboard, and the
anchors were raised on either side the prow, Jason
stood up beside the helm, holding a golden cup
in his hands, and poured wine therefrom into the
sea, calling aloud on Zeus, lord of the lightning,
on winds and waves, and nights of sea-faring, to
be gracious to their outgoing and their home-
coming. Immediately a peal of thunder gave

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THE LAD WITH ONE SANDAL 171

answer from the clouds above, and lightning-
flashes were seen to the right of the ship, cheering
the hearts of all with happiest augury. At that,
the seer bade the princely comrades betake them
to their oars, and their mighty strokes bore the
Argo swiftly out to sea. All that day, and many
a day after, they rowed on untiringly, sped along
by the strong south breeze that filled their sails.
Fifty all told were those sailors, sons of gods and
of kings, but none of Jason's kindred was among
them, except only the brave Acastus, son of Pelias,
who, for all his father could say, would not be
turned from the quest of the Golden Fleece. So
they fared ever northward, keeping in view the
bays and promontories of the western mainland,
till they had need of fresh water, and put in to a
wooded cove, where a stream ran sparkling to the
sea. And here misfortune befell them, for they
lost Heracles, the best of their crew. There had
followed him to lolcos a fair lad called Hylas,
who served him as cup-bearer. This boy, for his
dauntless spirit, and the love Heracles had to
him, was made one of Argo's crew, and he
disembarked in this place with the rest. But
while they drew water from the stream, he
wandered along its banks into the woods, till
he came to its source in a deep, clear pool. As
he bent over its cool depths, the Water Fairies
who abode therein fell in love with his beauty,

172 THE GOLDEN PORCH

and before he was aware they threw their white
arms about him and drew him under. Hylas
gave one cry for help as the water closed over
him, and Heracles, who heard and knew the well-
loved voice, rushed to find him, but in vain ; nor,
though the hero and his comrades searched the
woods the livelong day, could they see or hear
aught of the vanished lad. Then when morning
dawned again, Heracles bade the others delay no
longer from their journey. " But I," said he,
" must tarry, for I will never leave this place till
I know what has become of Hylas." Sadly Jason
and the rest took farewell of their great com-
panion ; their hearts were sore for his grief, but
they might not linger, and so once more they
stood out to sea with oar and sail.

Now, after that, they came to a long strait of
the sea, and on the shore of it there was an old
blind man sitting at a table, who seemed to be
weeping. " Let us draw in to land," said Jason,
" and ask that old man what he does in this
solitary place, and what may be his sorrow." So
they brought Argo close in to the shelving shore,
and called to him, asking who he was. The old
man turned his sightless eyes upon them, and
answered, " I am Phineus, the seer, of all men
most miserable. Apollo, in my youth, bestowed
on me the power of prophecy, whereby I came to
great honour, and my house was filled with rich

THE LAD WITH ONE SANDAL 173

gifts from the folk who sought to me for sooth-
say. But I offended the holy gods by greed of
gain, therefore in mine age they sent blindness
upon me, and a strange evil, the like of which
came never on mortal man. For whenever I sat
at meat, two monstrous birds, with heads of
women, darted screeching upon my food, and
snatched it away before I could taste one morsel,
leaving but fragments dropped from their foul
talons. They were in sight like vultures that
prey on carcases, and the deadly carrion smell of
them polluted all they touched, and all the air of
the house, so that none could endure to abide
therein. And at last the men of my city thrust
me forth, because of those noisome guests, but
that they might still resort to me for prophecies,
they builded me a hut on this lonely shore, and
daily bring me offerings of choice dainties, such
as I love. But woe's me ! those fell winged
creatures cease not to haunt me, as you will
shortly see."

" Old man," said Jason, " our hearts are
moved with pity for your wretched lot. Tell
us now, by your divine foresight, shall none
rid you of this strange pest ? "

" Concerning that," said Phineus, " only this
much is revealed to me ; my deliverers are even
now aboard this your ship, O son of Aeson, and
bound for the far Colchian land. I know you,

174 THE GOLDEN PORCH

prince, and your errand, and who your comrades
are, but which of them shall rescue me, and in
what hour, is hidden from my ken."

While they talked thus, certain men came
thither from the city, bearing baskets of rich
viands which they spread on the old man's table,
and he put forth his hands to take of them.
Instantly, with hideous screams, two vulture-
shapes, woman-headed, swooped down from
upper air, seized upon the food and soared away
swifter than an arrow's flight. And the air was
filled with a poisonous savour of decay, so that
Jason and his comrades were fain to push off
their ship from that tainted shore. But Phineus
cried to them with tears not to abandon him in
his helpless plight, and they talked with him
from Argo's deck, and Jason asked him how the
dire monsters were called. "By mortals," he
answered, " they are called the Harpies, that
is the Snatchers, but the gods name them the
Hounds of Zeus. You have seen their swiftness,
how it is such that neither javelin nor arrow may
overtake them ; alas, what could Heracles him-
self avail me, were he yet with you ! '

Then said Jason, " I know a way," and he
filled a trencher with food, and bade the two
Sons of the North Wind carry it ashore and set
it before Phineus. They no sooner did so than
the Harpies were seen darting upon the table ;

THE LAD WITH ONE SANDAL 175

but swifter still, Zetes and Calais rushed between
and drove them back with the flapping of their
bright wings. The Harpies fled shrieking, pur-
sued by those winged brethren over hill and dale,
and the North Wind blew a fierce gale to speed
his sons along, till on a desolate mountain they
overtook the monsters, and drew their swords to
slay them. But Zeus sent Iris, his messenger
who rides upon the rainbow, to forbid them,
because the Harpies were ministers of his ven-
geance upon sinners, and she commanded Zetes
and Calais to put up their swords, and take an
oath from them never more to come near Phineus.
So the women-headed creatures swore it with
human voice, by the great oath that binds the
Immortal gods, even by the Water of Styx, that
icy stream which flows from Earth into the Nether
World. And the sons of the North Wind flew
back to the Argo.

Now when they had bidden Phineus farewell,
the heroes sailed along the strait to its opening
into another sea, stormy and cold, where never
ship had sailed before. For at the mouth of the
strait two steep cliffs made a gateway, and they
were alive, and whatever passed between them
they crushed to pieces, clashing suddenly together
upon it. But the comrades were forewarned by
Phineus of this dreadful place, and having cast
anchor before it, they went ashore and built an

1 76 THE GOLDEN PORCH

altar of stones and sacrificed a bull to Poseidon,
god of mariners, with prayers for aid. And
Hera, in her love to Jason, prevailed with
Poseidon to grant them safe passage through
those gates that he had set up to keep mortals
from the Northern Sea, and she came herself
to the ship in the likeness of a damsel, carrying
a white dove. " Hail, Jason ! " she said : " A
friend sends you this bird, even she whom you
met by the ford of the stream, and bids you let
it loose from Argo's prow. Then, when you see
it pass between the Clashing Cliffs, let your
comrades row forward at their utmost speed."
With that, she vanished, and Jason, glad at
heart, bade his comrades bend to their oars,
and let go the dove. Straight through the pass
she flew, and the cliffs closed upon her with a
roar like thunder, but by T;Tera's grace she sped
between so swiftly that only her tail feathers
were caught. Then, as the rocks rolled back
with a grinding noise, Argo's crew rowed onward
for their lives, and brought the good ship through
by a hair's-breadth. The Clashing Cliff's met
again that same instant, but too late, and that
was the end of them, for their doom was, if ever
they missed their prey, to dash each other to
powder.

Poseidon, at Hera's entreaty, calmed the
northern deep for those first voyagers, and

THE LAD WITH ONE SANDAL 177

with a fair wind ever behind them they came
at last in sight of the low misty shores of an
unknown land. It was towards evening when
they drew near and saw at hand the mouth of
a broad river that flowed between dark woods
of beech and pine, and there in a creek of the
spreading stream they moored their ship for the
night.

CHAPTER II

WITH the first light of day Jason and two of his
comrades set forth inland, that they might find
some inhabited place, and learn if this was the
country to which they were bound. Presently
they spied smoke curling up through the trees
of the forest, and they went towards it, and came
to a great house of timber, standing in an open
glade, with byres and barns around it. As they
drew near, a lad met them, driving cows to
pasture, and they asked him the name of the
land, and who dwelt in that house. " Strangers,"
said he, " this is the country of the Colchians, and
yonder house is the palace of Aietes, their king."
Then Jason, and the two comrades with him,
who were Castor and Polydeuces, were glad,
because they were at their journey's end ; and
they went into the palace and found the King

M

178 THE GOLDEN PORCH

sitting in the hall among his chieftains, dark-
skinned men of fierce countenance, clad in golden
armour of strange fashion. Aietes looked grimly
upon the strangers, but he bade them sit down
and feast with him, and his slaves set food before
them in plenty, and dark, sweet drink, brewed
of herbs and honey. When they had eaten and
drunk, the King asked them whence they came,
and where they had left the ship that brought
them, for he knew that they must have come by
sea to his country, since by land it was walled
about with trackless forests. And Jason answered
discreetly, not making known his errand, but say-
ing they were come from a land far south, and
had moored their ship in the river not far away.
"It is well," said the King. "Let your two
comrades now go and bring the rest of your
crew hither, that I may feast them all. To-day
we will make merry, and you shall try your
mettle in sword-play with my warriors, and to-
morrow you shall tell me your errand."

So the Twin Brethren went forth to fetch their
comrades, but the King, under show of courtesy,
kept Jason from returning to the ship lest the
strangers should put to sea, and escape out of
his hands. For this Aietes was a cruel prince
and a cunning, and he thought to make easy prey
of these young men and their companions, and
seize their fair-wrought arms, and any treasure

THE LAD WITH ONE SANDAL 179

they might have with them. But meantime he
covered his evil purpose with friendly speech,
bidding Jason refresh himself after his voyaging,
and caused him to be led to a chamber where a
bath was made ready. As the youth entered it
he saw an ancient serving-woman pouring water
into the bath out of a steaming cauldron, and she
said to him, " Prince Jason, when you leave this
chamber the King's daughter will meet you, and
offer you a posset in a silver cup. Beware you
taste it not, for it is deadly, but pour it on the
ground, and say, * For Those Below.' Then give
this to the King's daughter." So saying, the old
woman took a shining thing from her bosom, and
gave it to Jason, and went quickly forth. But as
she went out the fashion of her changed, and she
shone with a beauty not earthly, so that he per-
ceived some goddess had spoken to him. Now
the shining thing was in the form of a four-
spoked wheel, and it was golden, and the figure
of a speckled bird, moulded in clay, was bound
upon the spokes by the outspread wings and by
the feet. Jason viewed it with wonder, and he
bathed himself quickly, eager to see what should
next betide. Then, when he was arrayed again,
and come out of that chamber, there greeted him
a dark maiden, robed in scarlet, and she offered
him drink in a silver cup. But he took it from
her hand, smiling, and poured the drink upon the

i8o THE GOLDEN PORCH

ground, and said, "For Those Below." The
King's daughter looked at the youth in silence,
and her olive cheeks turned pale. " Princess of
the Colchians," said he, <l let it not displease you
that I deal thus with your gift, but take a gift
in return." And he laid the golden wheel in
her hand, and left her standing mute. Now the
daughter of Aietes was a great enchantress, one
that could draw the moon out of the sky by her
incantations, and knew all spells that can be
wrought with strange drugs and herbs of might.
At her father's bidding she had mingled a potion
for the stranger prince that would have destroyed
him in three days, withering his veins with con-
suming fire. But, by his offering it to the Dead,
she understood that he knew death was in the
cup, and great fear of him took hold of her, for
she deemed he had that knowledge by art magical,
and that his gift was some potent charm. This
in truth it was, as shall presently be told.

So soon as Argo's crew were come to the
palace, King Aietes made them cheer with a feast
of good things, and after the banquet he had
them forth into a meadow, and desired them to
show him what skill they had with their weapons.
And he set ten chosen warriors to sword-play
with Jason and nine of his comrades, while he
sat to watch on a grassy knoll, and his daughter
beside him. Then, under colour of sport, the

THE LAD WITH ONE SANDAL 181

Colchian warriors aimed deadly strokes at the
strangers, for so had the King given secret
command, trusting to see his champions slay
those youthful guests right speedily. But the
ten comrades fought like young lions with their
fierce adversaries, and when they saw the battle
was for life or death, they spared not to smite
them till all were slain upon the place. Sore
wearied, but unwounded in that deadly fray, the
heroes sheathed their resistless swords at last,
and Jason cried to the King, " We are guiltless,
Aietes, of the deaths of these men. In an evil
hour have we come to such a host as this, who
would make it his pastime to see guests slaughtered
before his face."

Aietes rose up with a laugh, and answered,
" They that fare to strange lands must meet with
strange customs. But since you like our Colchian
manner of sport so little, I will henceforth deal
with you in earnest." With that he took them
back to the palace, but because it was now late,
he sent them to the guest-chambers, saying he
would hear their errand in the morning.

That night the witch-princess could not sleep
for thinking on the bright-haired stranger, and
the meaning of the gift he had given her. She
was afraid to keep it, and afraid to leave it, and
she had it hidden in the folds above her girdle
while she watched him righting for his life with

1 82 THE GOLDEN PORCH

her father's best swordsman ; nor for all her skill
in enchantments did she know that the spell of it
was at work upon her even then. At last she
slept, and dreamed that a queen crowned with
roses stood at her bedside, and asked her what
thoughts those were that troubled her; but, when
she essayed to answer, she could find no words,
and fell to weeping.

Then said the rose-crowned queen, " I am
Aphrodite, known among gods and men for an
enchantress of power, and to pleasure great Hera,
I have put a charm upon you mightier than all
your spells. For, as the bird is bound upon the
wheel I bade Prince Jason give you, so your heart
is bound with cords of desire to the giver, by the
virtue of that charm. Rise now, and follow me
to his chamber ; the thoughts that you could not
speak I know, and the struggle of your soul, but
stronger than all is the thought that he must
not die."

The King's daughter awoke, and behold, she
was no longer in her own chamber, but stood
beside the sleeping stranger. Moonlight fell
upon his face, and hair of ruddy gold, and the
drawn sword by his side, and she looked at him
long before she aroused him with a touch of her
hand, calling him by name.

" Who calls me ? " said Jason, springing to his
feet and grasping his sword.

THE LAD WITH ONE SANDAL 183

" It is I, Medea," said the King's daughter ;
" I am come to bid you fly from this house while
it is yet night, for to-morrow Aietes purposes to
slay you and your comrades. Come, awaken the
others, and I will unbar the gates meanwhile;
the guards shall not hear us, for I have power to
keep them slumbering soundly."

" Noble Medea," answered the prince, " I have
seen strange things on my way hither, but here is
the strangest of all, that you, who would have
destroyed me with your potion, are now fain to
save my life. I thank whatever god has changed
your heart towards me, and praise your kindly
thought, but as for flight, neither I nor my
true comrades will quit this place without the
prize we are come in quest of." And thereupon
he took Medea by the hand, and seated her
beside him on the couch, and told her all the
tale from the beginning, of the task Pelias laid
upon him, and the Argo's perilous voyage.
Now, while he spoke of the dangers he had
passed, and pleaded with her in sweet persuasive
words for help to win the Golden Fleece, pity
and love overflowed the heart of the witch-
princess, and she forgot all the world but him
only, and promised at last to aid him to the
uttermost against her father. "For your sake,
prince," she said, " I will brave the wrath of
Aietes, though he kill me when he finds his

184 THE GOLDEN PORCH

treasure gone, and ask but this for reward, that
you think sometimes of Medea when you dwell
happily in that far southern home you tell me of."

Then Jason vowed a solemn vow that he would
not leave her to suffer her father's vengeance, but
take her home to be his wife, and queen of fair
lolcos, and they plighted troth together in that
same hour. Medea then fetched from her own
chamber an ivory box of ointment, and bade him
anoint himself therewith in the morning, and
told him all else that he must do to outwit the
crafty King. Thus did Queen Hera, with help of
Aphrodite, accomplish victory for Jason over the
enchantress, who else would have proved a foe
too strong for him and all his crew.

No sooner had the King and his guests broken
fast on the morrow, than he said to them, " Let
him that is captain among you now declare the
cause of your coming hither " ; and Jason made
himself known to him, and in courteous words
desired him to restore the Golden Fleece to the
rightful heirs of Phrixus. Aietes heard him in
silence to the end ; then he arose and beckoned
Argo's crew to follow him, and they went after
him, wondering, to a fallow field hard by the
palace. There they saw a huge plough of bronze
lying, and two dun oxen stood near it, wondrous
to behold ; they had horns and hoofs of bronze,
and breathed forth smoke and flame from their

THE LAD WITH ONE SANDAL 185

nostrils. The King marked with his staff a
furlong on the ground, took up the heavy brazen
plough-yoke, and yoked those great beasts there-
with, heedless of their scorching breath, that
burnt black the grass around them, and the
furious tossing of their terrible horns. Then,
taking in hand a sharp-pointed goad of iron,
he drove the oxen to the mark, and turned them,
and so back again, cleaving the fallow soil with
furrows deep and straight. And his guests
watched with speechless amaze so great a marvel,
till he unyoked his team beside them, and said,
" If your chief can do as you have seen me do,
the Golden Fleece shall be his. But I am sworn
to give it to no man who cannot yoke my oxen
and plough with my plough." Straightway
Jason stripped off his saffron vesture and stepped
boldly to the task, putting his trust in divine aid.
Even as Aietes had done, so did he ; he took up
the yoke as it were a feather's weight, laid it on
the necks of the oxen, despite their plungings
hither and thither, and goaded them forward
with the one hand, while with the other he bore
hard upon the plough-stilts, driving a true furrow
alongside the King's. Aietes looked to see him
scorched to a cinder when he approached the
fire-breathing bulls, but the flames had no power
on his flesh by reason of Medea's enchanted
ointment, and a wordless cry broke from the

1 86 THE GOLDEN PORCH

King, beholding him unscathed, and the god-like
strength that was in him. But all Jason's com-
rades shouted with a great shout when the task
was done, and crowded about him to clasp his
hands with praises and glad greetings, and they
crowned him with a garland of flowering grasses.
In silent rage the King now led the way to the
grove of Ares, where hung the Golden Fleece,
yet he still had hopes that Jason, for all his
prowess, would not be able to achieve the task
that there awaited him. For the Fleece had a
guardian stranger and more terrible than the
oxen whose breath was flame. The grove of
Ares was a gloomy wood of ancient oaks, that
stooped their gnarled boughs low over dense
undergrowths of brambles and juniper. A stone
altar stood before it, stained with dark blood, and
far within, the green gloom was broken by a spot
of radiance like the clear shining of a lamp. No
voice of bird sounded in that drear wood, for all
winged creatures shunned it except the wood-
peckers, whose tapping was heard ever and anon
in the deathly stillness. " Yonder light," said
Aietes, "is the glitter of the Golden Fleece, and
you, bold prince, will need no other guide to
lead you thereto."

" King," said Jason, who was forewarned by
Medea's counselling, " I fear to lay hands upon
the sacred thing till I have offered sacrifice upon

THE LAD WITH ONE SANDAL 187

this altar, and besought mighty Ares not to be
wroth at the taking away of the treasure which
Phrixus dedicated here. Suffer us therefore to
return to our ship for the night, and to-morrow
we will bring offerings to the god of such things
as we have." Aietes gave them leave willingly,
for now he feared Jason exceedingly, and was
well content that he should either depart at
once from the land, if such were his secret
purpose, or meet his doom on the morrow
from the guardian of the Fleece. And one of
these things he trusted would most surely befall,
for that guardian was a dragon of baleful glaring
eye, whose dappled coils were in length and thick-
ness not less than Argo's hull that had fifty oars.
So the King returned to his house, and Jason and
his comrades went towards the river where their
ship lay. But when they had gone a little way,
Jason told the others what had chanced in the
night, and how the King's daughter had wrought
him deliverance from the bulls, and shown him
means to overcome a yet greater peril. When
they heard of the dragon in the grove, they were
full eager to fight the monster, and prayed their
captain by no means to encounter him alone, but
Jason said, " That task must be mine only, and with
Medea to aid, I shall not fail, if the gods so will.
Do you, my comrades, hasten to our ship, and make
all ready to sail whenever I shall come to you."

1 88 THE GOLDEN PORCH

With that, he turned back and went alone to
the dark grove, and at the setting of the sun,
Medea came to him there.

But his comrades went on board the Argo, and
looked well to all her gear, and set her sails, and
when they had taken their supper, they sat each
man at his oar, waiting in silence through the
first watch of the night, while the autumn moon
rose golden up the sky. And at midnight, they
were aware of two stately forms coming swiftly
through the shadows of the wood, who seemed to
carry between them a huge, glittering shield.
Then the voice of Jason softly hailed them, and
they saw that it was he and the witch-princess
who drew near, bearing a spear athwart their
shoulders, whereon hung the Fleece of Gold,
shining like a sun. Without word spoken, those
two laid their burden on Argo's deck, and Jason,
with finger on lip, took his own place, and made
sign to his crew to give way. Silently they bent
to their oars, and the good ship stole out into the
stream, and forth to the open sea. The helms-
man turned her prow southward, but at that,
Medea cried, " Princes, steer not homeward on
the course by which you came, for that way will
Aietes send to pursue you with a great host, and
his ships sail fleeter than the wind through his en-
chantments. Long must be your voyage, even
half the circuit of the world, but if you will

THE LAD WITH ONE SANDAL 189

trust to me for piloting, I will guide you safe
home at last." The comrades hearkened gladly
to those wise words, and turned Argo northward
again at her command, and sailed for many days
over a desolate sea where no man had come since
the making of the world. At last, where that
sea narrowed into a gulf between hills of ice and
snow, they came forth upon the boundless Ocean
stream, that girdles the round world, and now,
by Medea's guidance they steered eastward and
southward, till the cold of the frozen north was
left behind, and the sun's heat gladdened them
again. Three moons had risen and set, while
Argo bore them along the Ocean stream, before
they saw on their right hand the red cliffs of a
coast, and a wide channel of waters between.

"Through yonder strait lies our way," said
Medea, and they steered northward once again
along that firth of ruddy shores. Now at the
head of it, they found no passage for their ship,
for dunes of yellow sand stretched before them,
far as eye could see, and their hearts were dis-
couraged. But Medea bade them draw Argo
ashore, and said, " Beyond this sandy waste lies
the Midland sea, whose waters wash the shores of
your own dear land. Be not downcast, brave
comrades, for in twelve days Argo shall ride on
that sea once more, if with stout hearts you
endure the toil of bearing her thither." So when

190 THE GOLDEN PORCH

they had rested there that night, she who had
been their pilot over a thousand leagues of ocean,
guided the crew across the pathless desert, and
they, by main strength hoisting the ship to their
shoulders, marched onward thus laden under a
burning sun. Never in their long seafaring had
they known a labour like this, but the spirit of
the heroes and the might of their young limbs did
not fail nor falter in all that toilsome journey.
On the twelfth day, the glittering of water was
seen among the sandhills, and they pressed on-
ward joyfully, till they came to the margin of a
vast and shallow mere. Now when they would
have drunk of its water, they could not, for it was
brackish, but Medea cast a certain herb therein,
and forthwith it was sweetened. Then she said
to them, " This water is bitter with brine of the
sea that neighbours it. Launch Argo now upon
the mere, and let us seek a channel among the
shallows that may bring us to the open main."

So they pushed off from the reedy bank, and
rowed slowly, steering warily through the shallows
of that great lagoon, till the helmsman saw blue
water sparkling ahead, and cried, " The sea, the
sea ! ' Then the glad heroes plied their oars
with fresh vigour, and ere nightfall Argo was
anchored in a bay of the Midland deep.

At early dawn, when they had hoisted sail and
were drawing up the anchors, a voice hailed them

THE LAD WITH ONE SANDAL 191

from the shore, and they turned in wonder to see
who might call them in that lonely place. There,
at the waves' edge stood a man, stately and tall,
and greeted them with kindly words, and desired
them to tarry awhile, and be his guests that day.
But Jason and the rest made courteous excuse,
pleading their haste to be at home. " Friends,"
said the stranger, " I will not seek to delay you,
but at least take a guest-gift from my hands, for
I would fain show you hospitality. I am the
king of this desert land, and I know who you
are, and the quest you sailed on. Be pleased to
take this boon, the only one I have at hand." So
saying, he stooped down and took up a clod of
earth of the shore, and held it forth to them.
Now Argo's prow was nearest to the land, for
thereby she had been moored, as the manner was,
and it was not yet turned seaward, and he that
stood nearest her curved beak was a young prince
named Euphemos. He, springing to the bulwark,
leapt lightly ashore, and clasped hands with the
stranger, and took the clod, and knew not what
gift that was, nor who gave it. But as he sprang
on board again, and turned to speak thanks and
farewell, the stranger vanished where he stood,
and awe came on all the comrades, understanding
that they had seen the god of that wilderness.
Nevertheless, they set forth again rejoicing, because
he had shown them favour and blessed them with

192 THE GOLDEN PORCH

a gift. Euphemos showed the clod to Medea and
asked her what it might betoken, and she answered
that the time was not yet come for him to know,
but he must look well to the keeping of it, because
there was a magic in it.

But when they had sailed three days, a gale
blew from the south-west at twilight, and the
waves rose high round the ship, and the enchanted
clod was washed from the deck, where it was laid,
by the driving spray. Then Euphemos called
aloud to Medea, " Alas, wise Lady, what shall I
do ? The precious thing is lost, carried overboard
by a dashing wave, and it is sunk into the depths
of the sea."

" Nay," said Medea, " it has not sunk, for there
is a magic in it, but is drifting even now to the
shore of yonder island on our lee. Listen, heroes
all, and I will tell you what power is in the clod,
and what will come of it. It is fated that where-
ever it is laid upon the ground, the lord of that
land shall be lord also of the soil whence it was
taken. And if Euphemos had brought it to the
fields of his own fair domain, and planted it there,
then in the day when his children's children will
seek new lordship over seas, they would have
sailed to the land where we saw the solitary god,
and made it their kingdom. But now, because
the clod is flung by the salt waves on the strand
of yonder isle, that is yet uninhabited, seventeen

THE LAD WITH ONE SANDAL 193

generations of men must pass away before the
god's gift bears fruit. For the descendants of
Euphemos will make their new home in that
island, which then shall be called Thera, and long
after, they will voyage thence to the land of the
clod, and reign there as kings of many cities."
The comrades listened in silence to Medea's
prophecy, and pondered it in their hearts, and
Euphemos ever after kept it in memory, teaching
it to his sons, and they to theirs. And in the
seventeenth generation the words were fulfilled.

But now the gale freshened to a tempest, and
Argo was driven before it out of her true course,
and her crew were fain to run her for shelter
under the white cliffs of another island, far to
northward. There they found a fair haven where
they anchored, and forthwith, an armed host
came out to them from the city nigh at hand.
Argo's men stared at these warriors with amaze,
for they were women, and their leader, a tall,
black-haired girl, clad in rich armour. She came
to the harbour-side and greeted the strangers,
asking who they were, and if they came peaceably.

" Peaceably, in truth, O Queen," answered Jason.
"We are men of lolcos, homeward bound from
a long seafaring, and we do but seek shelter here
till the storm is overpast. Tell me, I pray you,
what land this is, and wherefore its warriors are
women." " Stranger," said the armed maiden.

N

194 THE GOLDEN PORCH

"This island is Lemnos, and my father was king
of it. He and all our men-folk went forth to
war against certain pirates of the mainland, and
while they were abroad, Aphrodite took displeasure
at us women, because we slighted her worship,
and she caused us to become utterly hateful to
our fathers and husbands when they returned.
Therefore they thrust us away from bed and
board, and would have taken them wives of the
captives they brought home, but we, thus wronged,
banded together for revenge, and slew them while
they slept, with their own swords. Not one did
we spare, except my father, but him, though I
had sworn to show no mercy, I hid in a great
chest, and had it thrown into the sea, that, if the
gods so willed, he might drift to some other
shore. Since then, I, Hypsipyle, am Queen, and
none but women dwell in Lemnos. Arms we
have, as you see, and have learnt the skill of them,
to defend ourselves against all comers, but you,
if you are what you say, we will welcome as
guests."

Jason had little will to enter that city of dark
deeds, and consort with those women of fierce
nature, but Medea said, " Our ship was blown
hither not without divine purpose. Let us go
ashore, and lodge with the Queen, as she would
have us." So they sojourned seven days in
Lemnos, for all that time the wind blew rough

THE LAD WITH ONE SANDAL 195

and contrary. Queen Hypsipyle entertained the
comrades royally, and held games in their
honour, setting forth prizes of golden goblets
and broidered mantles for running and wrestling
and throwing the spear. For these the warrior-
women contended with the heroes, and overcame
not a few of them, for they were cunning wrestlers,
and marvellous fleet-footed. But in feats of
strength they could not match Jason and his
men, nor in the race for which the Queen gave
the richest prize of all, a silver shield, embossed
with wild bulls, and hunters driving them into
the toils. That race was run by seven of the
heroes in full armour, carrying their heavy shields,
and there was laughter among the women when
the seventh, whose name was Erginos, stepped to
the starting-place, because he, though yet young,
was grey-haired. Yet he outstripped the rest,
and came foremost to the goal, and the mockers
were ashamed when he took the silver shield,
and the victor's garland from the Queen's hands.
After this, the strangers found great favour with
the island maidens, who would fain have had
them for their wedded lords, and Hypsipyle
made offer to Jason of her hand and kingdom,
if he would abide in Lemnos. Now she was
more beautiful than the Colchian enchantress,
and Jason's heart was drawn to her, but false to
his word he could not be, and that was given to

196 THE GOLDEN PORCH

Medea. But some of his comrades took them
brides among the Lemnian damsels, and of these
was Euphemos ; and Medea, at his wedding,
prophesied good fortune to the marriage, more-
over, the gods, she said, had willed him to find a
wife in that island, for which very cause they had
driven Argo to its coast. And the truth of her
saying was quickly made manifest, for that very
day the wind blew fair again for lolcos, so that
the heroes longed to set sail for home without
delay. They listened not to any pleading, but
made Argo ready for sea, and put their island
brides on board, and went their way. This was
the last of their seafaring ; the kindly breeze
never failed till they dropped anchor once again
in the haven where their good ship first floated.

Here ends the story of Jason's quest for the
Golden Fleece, for it needs not to tell the joy
of his father and of all lolcos at his home-
coming, nor how the brave comrades took
farewell, when they had seen him receive the
kingdom from Pelias, who durst not draw back
from his oath to yield it. Jason and Medea were
wedded with splendour and rejoicings, and there-
after they had such happiness as seemed good to
the gods. But as for Pelias, although Jason did
him no violence, he did not escape the death that
was to be dealt him by his own kindred. For
his daughters heard that Medea had made old

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THE LAD WITH ONE SANDAL 197

Aeson young again by her spells, and entreated
her to do the like for their father. Then the
enchantress killed an old ram before them, and
cut it in pieces, and threw the pieces with magic
herbs into a boiling cauldron, and when she had
said certain words over it, forthwith she drew out
a lamb, alive and unhurt. And she gave a hand-
ful of herbs to the daughters of Pelias, saying,
" Do to your father as you have seen me do to
this sheep, which has become a lamb again."
The princesses did so, but Medea had given them
common herbs, and they had not bethought them
to ask what those words were which she said over
the cauldron, therefore they could not bring their
slain father to life again. Thus perished Pelias,
even as the oracle had forewarned him, by a doom
that had its beginning in the coming to lolcos of
the lad with one sandal.

THE PANSY BABY

CHAPTER I

KING AIPYTOS of Arcadia was a lonely
man when he grew old, for he had neither
son nor daughter, and his queen was dead. There
were no cities in his country, which was a land of
wooded hills, and green dales dotted with count-
less sheep, and few strangers crossed the steep
mountains that shut it in on every side. All the
King's wealth was in his flocks and herds ; his
palace was built of oaken timbers, and no one
ever wished to make war upon him, because he
had little silver and less gold in his dwelling to
tempt a spoiler. So there was nothing for him
to do, after he was grown too old to go hunting,
save to drive his sleek mules and well-burnished
car about the uplands, visiting his sheepfolds,
or the solitary huts of his woodcutters and
goatherds. One day in summer time, while he
watched the sheep-shearing on a hillside, two
serfs came out of the oak woods where they
herded his swine, driving a fat hog before them

199

200 THE GOLDEN PORCH

for the shearers' supper, and the elder was carry-
a little child on his shoulder.

"Is that child yours, swineherd ?" said King
Aipytos. " How comes it then that she is
arrayed so finely, and is white of skin as any
princess ? "

" She is none of mine, lord King," said the
swineherd. "It was but yesterday I found her
in the woods, sleeping alone under a pine tree.
I have brought her hither to know if it may
please you to have her reared in your house,
for it is well seen she is no peasant brat, but one
that will scarce thrive on my rough fare of roots
and acorn bread."

The King looked upon the foundling, and his
heart was touched by her flower-like face. " I will
rear her as my own," he said. " Surely the gods
have sent her, to bring joy into my childless house."

So the child was brought up in the palace, and
King Aipytos loved her as a daughter, and gave
her the name of Evadne. She could remember
nothing, before her finding by the swineherd,
except that she had fallen asleep under the pine
tree in the lap of a lovely lady, with tresses
black as night, who sang her a lullaby.

" Was that my mother ? "' she would ask the
King, " and what was her name ? '

Then he would answer, " Certainly it was your
mother, and her name is Pitane."

THE PANSY BABY 201

For Pitan means " Lady of the Pine," and he
guessed that Kvadne's mother was the Wood
Fairy who haunted that pine tree. But he never
guessed that this Fairy herself had sent him her
child to take care of, because she knew her tree
was going to fall, and as soon as that happened,
she would be no more. This is the fate of all the
Wood Fairies, for they are the souls of the trees
they inhabit, and they always know when their
own tree is about to die. Therefore Evadne's
Fairy mother had invisibly led the swineherd
where her babe lay sleeping, and she whispered,
"Take her to the King," so softly in his ear that
he fancied the words were only a thought which
came to him while he heard the pine tree rustle
in the breeze.

Now Evadne, when she grew a maiden, seemed
beyond all doubt the true daughter of that lovely
Lady of the Pine ; her slender body had the grace
of a tall sapling, and her hair the blackness of
fir woods when you see them against the sun-
set. That dusky hair is the chief glory of the
Pine Fairies, though some say it is less beautiful
than the auburn curls of their sisters who are
Ladies of the Beeches, or the flaxen locks of
those others whose haunt is the Silver Birch.

King Aipytos thought it not strange that the
child of such a mother should love to wander
in the woodlands, gathering flowers and berries,

202 THE GOLDEN PORCH

rather than to weave at the loom and broider
robes like other maidens, nor did he ever hinder
Evadne from roving early and late to her heart's
content. But as time went on, it was told him
once and again by his herdsmen and shepherds
that she wandered not alone; they had seen a
golden-haired stranger walking beside her through
forest glades, or sitting at her feet in some moun-
tain meadow.

The King was grieved that his foster-child
should meet a lover in secret, as though she
feared he would forbid her the desire of her
heart, and he said to her, " My child, you are of
the age when maidens are wedded, and it may
well be that you have seen some youth whom
you think worthy of your hand. If it be so,
fear not to tell me, for I would gladly see you
made a bride before I die, though my house will
lack its one jewel when you leave it."

Evadne answered, blushing rosy red, "More
than a father have you been to me, and I will
never leave you. I have seen no mortal whom I
would choose for my lord."

Yet after this she kept away from the King's
presence, and would often pass whole days and
nights in the summer woods. At last he was
sure that the maiden had some secret which she
would not tell him, and he thought he would
journey to the holy temple at Delphi and ask

THE PANSY BABY 203

counsel of the priestess, for his mind was sorely
troubled by this thing. Many leagues he journeyed
in his mule-chariot over the Arcadian mountain
passes and over the lands beyond, till he came to
the rocky glen that is called Delphi, where the
god Apollo gives oracles to men from his golden
shrine, speaking by the mouth of his priestess.
Now the inner chamber of that temple is built
over a deep cleft in the rock, and a three-legged
stool of gold is set over the cleft, whereon the
priestess sits when she makes reply to those
who inquire of the god. For a cloudy vapour
rises out of the cleft at certain seasons, and
while it floats round the priestess she falls into
a trance and chants divine words of prophecy or
counsel, according as Apollo wills her to give his
answer.

King Aipytos offered sacrifice and burnt sweet
incense on the temple altar, and the priestess bade
him speak his request to Apollo, while she entered
the inner shrine, where none else might set foot,
and took her seat on the golden stool. Then he
prayed to know why it was that Evadne passed
all her days in the lonely woods, and kept her
doings there a secret, even from him to whom
she had ever been dutiful and loving. " Lord of
Truth," he said, " show me what will come of
this, be it good or evil ; no longer may I endure
to live in fear of some mischief to befall, dreading

204 THE GOLDEN PORCH

from day to day lest the maiden come home no
more, and I lose the light of my old eyes for

ever.'

As the King made an end of speaking, the cloud
filled the holy place and hid the form of the
priestess from his sight. He knew that it was
her voice which came to him out of the cloud,
yet now it rang so loud and silver-clear that it
seemed the voice of the god himself. " King of
Arcadia," it sang, " return in peace to your home,
for great joy waits you there. Behold I, even I
myself, gave a gift to fair Evadne in the green-
wood, and charged her to watch it well, keeping
it hidden from all eyes. But now the time is at
hand when my secret purpose shall be revealed,
and you shall know the blessing that I have
wrought you to recompense your Jove for your
foster-child. Say therefore to the maiden, ' Apollo
bids you show me his gift.' And in token that
it is a true message, say also, ' The gift he gave
you on that day when, laying aside your scarlet
girdle, you rested by the spring where you had
filled your silvern pitcher.' "

Joyfully then the King sped him home again,
but Evadne met him with never a smile, and her
face was pale as death. And when she heard the
message of the god, she broke into long weep-
ing. " Alas, my father," she said at last, " these
five days past I have sought in vain for Apollo's

THE KING CONSULTS THE DEI.PHIC ORACLE.

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THE PANSY BABY 205

gift, till my heart was like to break. Awhile I
kept it safe in a green bower that I built with
hazel-twigs in a lonely dell, but now it is gone, I
know not how, unless some wild beast has carried
it away."

" What can the gift be, then," said Aipytos,
" if wild beasts could make prey of it ? Tell me
at least what it is, since you cannot show it me as
the god bade."

" I will tell you," she said, " both what it is
and how it came to me. Many a time I had
sight in the woods of beautiful shapes that I knew
were not human creatures ; some of them were
like my Fairy mother, and there were others that
rose out of the mountain streams or skipped on
the sheer crags. I longed to speak with them,
but always they vanished when I came near, till
at last I saw one more glorious than them all,
whose countenance shone like the sun. Golden-
haired he was, and had a bow and quiver slung on
his white shoulder. He did not fly me, like the
rest, but gave me gentle greeting, and we had
sweet speech together then and many another day.
That gracious friend told me not his name, but I
learnt it ere long, for I heard the Wood Fairies
whispering ' Apollo ' as we walked together in
the forest glades. Then I was afraid, for who
was I to have companionship with so great a god ?
But Apollo bade me have no fear ; only a little

2o6 THE GOLDEN PORCH

while could he stay in Arcadia, and then he must
leave me for his heavenly dwelling, and I, he
said, must content me with the lot of a mortal
maiden in the house of my foster-father. And he
left me at last, one noon-tide, beside a spring,
where I had given him drink from my silvern
pitcher, and loosed my scarlet girdle, and lain
down to sleep. In my sleep, methought that he
laid a purple pansy on my bosom, and said, ' I
give you Heartsease, Evadne, for a farewell gift.
Guard it well, and speak of it to none, until the
hour that shall be told you.' At that I woke,
and behold he was gone ; but instead of the
pansy, a dark-eyed babe was lying on my breast."

" This is a strange marvel," said Aipytos, " yet
now I see plainly the purpose of the god. Doubt-
less he has given this child for a gladness and a
blessing to my house. Take comfort, daughter,
for he will surely be found, and Apollo will not
have suffered harm to befall him."

Then the King and all his men made great
search in the woods, and Evadne also went with
them. At close of day they came upon a dingle
filled breast-high with fern, and heard a cooing
sound like baby laughter in the midst of the
covert. Evadne sprang through the tangled
bracken, Aipytos following with the best speed
of his old limbs. A wondrous sight it was that
met their eyes in the heart of the brake ! There

THE PANSY BABY 207

nestled in a bed of pansies, lay the lost child, his
tender body aglow with the golden and purple
gleams from the flowers, that burned like jewels
in the broad rays of sunset. On either side of
him was coiled a bright-eyed snake, holding in its
mouth a piece of honeycomb, and with that they
fed the Pansy Baby, while he stroked their emerald
necks, laughing in delight. But Evadne trembled
for the child, and at her cry of dread, those two
strange guardians glided away. Then she caught
him in her arms, and gave him to the King, saying,
" Father, Apollo's gift is to you also. Let this
boy be a son to you in your old age." So they
returned to the palace, glad at heart, and Evadne
called the child lamos, which in the speech of
Arcadia means Heartsease.

CHAPTER II

KING AIPYTOS died at last in a green old age,
having lived to see the Pansy Child grow up a
tall and comely youth, and he left him heir to all
that was his. But the folk of Arcadia were ill-
pleased that a stranger born should rule over
them, and they murmured, saying, "Are there
not kinsmen of our dead King in the land, to
take his inheritance ? Would that one of them

208 THE GOLDEN PORCH

were lord over us, for as for this lamos, we know
neither his father nor his kindred." And the
old men said, " There is not under the sun so
ancient a land as Arcadia, but now the glory is
departed from it, for a kinless waif sits in the
seat of a hundred kings."

These sayings came to the ears of lamos, and
he was troubled, not knowing what they meant.

" Mother," he said to Evadne, " what is this
the people say, that I am no rightful heir of
Aipytos ? Are not you his daughter, and am
not I your child ? Yet they call me a stranger
and an upstart." Then Evadne told him all the
story of his birth, and how he had no mortal
father, but was the gift of that bright-haired god
who loved her long ago.

" I know," she said, " that Apollo will love
you also for my sake, and he promised that his
favour should always rest on me and mine. So
now, if you are troubled at the murmuring of
the folk, entreat him to befriend you, and show
you a way to deal with them."

" Must I seek the god in his house at Delphi ? ''
asked lamos.

"Nay," said Evadne, "there is no need to
journey so far. Go this night into the woods,
and it may be he will speak to you there, if you
call upon him."

lamos went forth at midnight into the dark

THE PANSY BABY 209

heart of the forest, and came by winding mossy
ways to a leafy hollow, where a streamlet tinkled
unseen in the gloom. A faint, sweet scent that
he knew rose from the ground ; he could not see
what flowers were at his feet, but he felt sure
they were pansies, and when he stooped and
gathered one, it was indeed his namesake, the
heartsease. " Here," he thought, " where Apollo's
token blooms, I will call upon his name." He
slid down the flowery bank, and stood barefoot in
the running brook, for all streams were holy, and
men were wont to enter their pure water when
they would implore the presence of the stainless
gods. Then, having bathed his hands and fore-
head, he stretched his arms skyward, saying,
" God of the Silver Bow, glorious Apollo, draw
near and hearken to my prayer. 1 knew not, till
this day, that King Aipytos was not my grand-
sire, but now it were hateful to me to dwell in
Arcadia, bearing the reproaches of the folk, who
would fain have a king of the ancient royal
blood. Lead me, I pray, to another land, and
another people, and give me rule over them,
that so I may found a kingdom, and make myself
a name among men."

When he had thus spoken, a voice called far
off in the darkness, " lamos, my son."

"Who calls me?" said the lad, trembling, and
the voice answered, near at hand, " One who

o

210 THE GOLDEN PORCH

will be to you a father and perform the promise
he made to Evadne in the days of her youth.
Follow me now in the way that I am going, till we
come to the fair place that shall be your home."

lamosfelt that a presence stood close beside him
in the dark hollow, but he could discern no form or
feature through the gloom. " Gracious Apollo,"
he said, " lead me where you will, yet how shall I
tread in the footsteps of a guide I cannot see ? "
But now the voice came from farther down the
stream, calling " Hither to me," and he hastened
after it, and ever, as he sped onward through the
mirk of the woods, he heard it crying before him,
" Follow, follow." No other sound broke the
deep hush of night, save the rippling of the
stream, now nearer and now more distant, as
they took their way along the narrow vales
through which it flowed. It seemed to lamos
that his limbs were become strangely light, and his
feet went swifter than ever before ; tirelessly he
raced on and on, and never tripped or stumbled,
though he could not see a spear's length before
him under the star-proof forest boughs. At last,
in the first greyness of dawn, he found himself in
an open valley, where the stream, now broadened
to a river, ran between wide and level meads.
The voice he had followed was silent, and he
cried aloud, " Whither now, Apollo ? '

"Look yonder," said the voice beside him,

THE PANSY BABY 211

"where the valley widens into a plain under that
low wooded hill. There, hard by the ford of
the river, stands a temple of my brother Poseidon,
and near it is the tomb of a king. That is the
place where you must make your dwelling, and
though it be solitary now, it shall be thronged in
days to come by the great ones of the earth."

Now lamos had hoped that Apollo would
bring him to some fair city, and he marvelled in
his heart what kingship could be his in that lonely
valley. Also, he desired exceedingly to behold
him face to face, and he said, " O heavenly guide,
if this be my journey's end, deign to show your-
self to your servant before you depart, for the
darkness of the night is gone." But looking
eagerly round he still saw no one, and the in-
visible god answered, " My son, of two things
you shall now choose one, for to have them both
is not granted to any mortal. Either you shall
see me this once face to face, or you shall hear
me speaking to you henceforth whenever you
will, as you hear me now, and talk with me as a
man talks with his friend."

Then lamos, when he had thought a little
while, said, " I choose to hear your voice ; so
shall I always find counsel for every need."

"You have chosen well," said Apollo, "hence-
forth great shall be your fame in this land, for
by communing with me, who know all things

212 THE GOLDEN PORCH

in heaven and earth, and all that is to come, you
will become the wisest of seers. Moreover, your
wisdom shall pass to your children, called after
your name, and they shall have the gift of sooth-
say for all time, though it will not be granted
them to hear my voice, lest, being mortals, they
boast of possessing the wisdom of gods. Go
now and dwell yonder by the river until you
see one coming to the ford, girt with a lion-skin
and bearing a bow ; that comer will build an
altar to a mightier god than Poseidon, and a
new gift will be given you in that day, whereby
you and yours may reveal truth to men."

So lamos went and lodged in Poseidon's temple,
and took service there, hewing wood and draw-
ing water for the sacrifices, and the folk of the
country gave him food from the offerings they
brought to the god. But he did not long hold
that lowly office before Apollo's word began to
be fulfilled, for it was soon noised abroad that
the stranger youth who served so diligently in
the temple had marvellous skill in the art of
a seer, and his true answers to all who inquired
of him about things to come were talked of far
and near. At last the King of the land himself
came to visit him, and bade him interpret a
dream that he had dreamed. lamos gave him no
answer till he had spoken secretly with Apollo ;
then he declared the meaning of the dream, and

THE PANSY BABY 213

what he foretold from it came straightway to
pass. After this, the King would have had him
dwell in his palace in the city, but since lamos
would not leave the place appointed by the god,
he built him a goodly house there. The young
seer would take no rewards from poor folk when
they came to him for prophecies, but from the
great of the land he took such gifts as they
pleased to bestow, so that his wealth increased
with his fame.

Now this King, whose name was Augeas, was
very rich in flocks and herds, and he kept a
thousand oxen stalled in a great byre near his
house. The byre was never cleansed from year's
end to year's end, and at length the oxen stood
so deep in filth that it bred a murrain among
them. Then Augeas set his herdsmen to cleanse
the stalls, but none of them had strength to
endure that noisome labour, and he took counsel
of lamos what were best to be done, who bade
him send heralds abroad to offer a rich recompense
to whoever would clear the byre of its foulness.
The King did so, and not many days after, lamos
saw a man coming to the ford of the river, girt
with a lion-skin, and bearing a great bow. " This
is the comer," he thought, and he went to meet
the stranger, and asked him his name.

" I am called Heracles," said he with the
bow, " and I seek King Augeas, for I hear word

2i 4 THE GOLDEN PORCH

of a service he needs. If he will pay the price
I ask, I will cleanse his byre for him, and that
in one day." " I will bring you to him," said
lamos, and they went together to the house of
the King. Augeas believed it impossible for one
man to do that work even in a year, so he
readily promised the stranger the price he asked,
which was a hundred of the oxen. Then Heracles
asked for a mattock and a spade, and they were
given him amid laughter and gibing from the
King and his men, who deemed him crazed in
his wits. And when Heracles began to dig a
wide trench at the door of the byre, they
laughed the more. But he, with more than
mortal strength, dug that trench right across
the fields that lay between the city and the
river, and when he came to the ford he built
a dam of earth and stones athwart the stream,
so that it was turned from its course and flowed
into the trench. And the waters, rushing through
their new channel, flooded the byre, and washed
away the dung-heaps that filled the stalls, and
poured in a torrent down to a pool beneath the
city walls. From morning to evening Heracles
wrought at that task without rest, and before
sunset the byre was cleansed. Then, lest the
waters should swamp the city, he went in haste
to break down the dam at the ford, and they
returned again to the river-bed.

THE PANSY BABY 215

But when he claimed his reward of the hundred
oxen, an evil thought came to Augeas, and he
said, " What mean you, stranger ? I take the
gods to witness I made no such promise. Shall
I give a hundred oxen for the hire of one day's
labour? That wage you shall never have of
me, unless you can prove that I promised it."
This he said cunningly, for it had so chanced
that lamos did not go with Heracles into the
King's presence, and none of his household was
with Augeas when he gave the promise except
Phyleus, his young son. So the false King, who
thought his son was even such as himself, now
called for lamos, and said, " Let the seer judge
between us, for he is just and holy." And
lamos said, " Is there not a witness who can
say which of the two speaks truly, King Augeas
or the stranger ? " " Here is Phyleus my son,"
answered the King, " who was present at our
talk together, and can bear witness that I did
not promise the hundred oxen." But the young
prince blushed red with shame for his father's
guile, and said, " Nay, my father, you did pro-
mise them, for I heard you." At that Augeas
was very wroth, and for all lamos could say
against it, he banished his son out of the land
on pain of death, and commanded his servants
to drive both him and Heracles forth from the
palace. Heracles could have overcome them all

216 THE GOLDEN PORCH

single-handed, yet for the sake of Phyleus, and
lest harm should come to him, he departed
without another word, taking the lad with him.
But lamos shook off the dust from his sandals
on the King's threshold, and said, " Woe to this
house, and woe to Augeas, because of the thing
he has done this day ! I say to you, O perjured
King, that I will see your face no more, for the
god whom I serve abhors lying and deceit."
Augeas had a mind to slay him for these words,
but he feared to lay hands on him because he
was a prophet, and beloved by all the folk, and
he let him go back to his own place.

Not long after this, word came to the King
that an army was marching upon his borders, and
the captain of the host was the man clad in
the lion-skin who had cleansed his byre. For
Heracles had mustered his friends and comrades
out of many cities to make war on Augeas, and
he had with him all the fighting men of Arcadia,
the birthplace of lamos, who were his sworn allies
because of a service he had done them of old.
There was a lake in Arcadia which was the home
of a strange tribe of great water-fowl, and they
preyed on human flesh, and were the terror of
the land until Heracles scared them away for
ever with the twanging of his mighty bowstring
and the hissing flight of his arrows. This good
deed the men of Arcadia kept in remembrance,

THE PANSY BABY 217

and now they repaid it, as they had vowed to
do. But the son of Augeas was not with that
host, for Heracles had helped the lad to win
himself a kingdom in the north country, where
he lived prosperously all his days. Then King
Augeas and his folk gave battle to the invaders
before the gates of the city, and were put to
utter rout, and the city was taken and set on
fire. Now Heracles had given command to his
host that they should give quarter to all, except
the King only, therefore there was little slaughter
that day, but Augeas himself met the doom he
well deserved. All his wealth, and all the spoil
of the city, Heracles divided with his comrades,
and next day, they set forth with their booty
heaped on ox-waggons, and with vast droves of
cattle, to return to their homes. When they
came to the ford of the river, lamos met them,
and Heracles asked him what temple that was,
and why it was built there, apart from any dwell-
ings of men. " It is Poseidon's temple," said
lamos, " which a prince who once ruled this land
built in thanksgiving for a victory he won here
by that god's help. Pelops was his name, and
he came overseas from the East, where his father
was a king of surpassing wealth and glory, whom
men called the Favourite of the Gods." Then
he told Heracles the story of the chariot-race,
which has been told in this book already, and

218 THE GOLDEN PORCH

showed him the tomb of Pelops, who had bidden
his sons bury him beside Poseidon's shrine.

" I also," then said Heracles, " will build a
temple here to the god who has given me victory
this day, even to most high Zeus, my guardian
and deliverer in all perils. And as Pelops
ordained chariot-races to be run here for a per-
petual memorial, I too will now hold a contest
of young men in feats of speed and strength, and
leave it in your charge, holy seer, to hold the like
once in four years, keeping solemn festival, to
the honour of Zeus." Thereupon he chose out
rich prizes for the games from his share of the
spoil, and gave the remainder to lamos, saying,
" All this I dedicate to Zeus ; take it to your
keeping, for I make you treasurer of his temple."

So the hero and his comrades marked out a
goodly space of the riverside meadow, and fenced
it round with an earthen wall, and when they had
built an altar of broad stones therein, they burnt
sacrifices to Zeus. Then they held the contests,
and made lamos the judge of them ; first there
was a foot-race, next wrestling, and boxing, and
throwing the stone quoit, and last a chariot-race,
in honour of Pelops. Heracles himself took no
part in the games, because he was the giver of
the prizes, and so it was best, for though he was
small of stature, his strength was as the strength
of fifty men. At evening time, great fires were

THE PANSY BABY 219

lighted by the stream, and sheep and oxen were
roasted whole for the banquet, and all the host
sat down to feast and to make merry. The
lovely moon looked down in full-orbed splendour
on their festival, and threw her golden light over
plain and river. All that midsummer night the
warriors held revel, with wine and song and
minstrelsy, till the wood fires burned low, and
the twittering of birds began to tell that dawn
was near. Next noon-tide, Heracles marshalled
the host for their journey, and bade lamos offer
sacrifice on the new altar, praying Zeus to give
some good omen at their setting forth. Then
it was that the second gift of prophecy came to
the young seer, as Apollo promised, for, looking
on the fire of the altar, his mind was suddenly
enlightened with strange knowledge, and he read
plain signs of fate in the leaping flames. " Go
in peace, Heracles," he cried ; " safe and speedy
shall be your home-faring, as Zeus grants me to
discern from the clear burning of the sacrifice.
Henceforth, I know by Apollo's word to me,
that I shall thus foretell good or ill hap to all
who make offerings on this altar."

So Heracles went his way with all his company,
and lamos saw him no more until another day.
But the seer fulfilled all the charge he laid upon
him, and dwelt happy and greatly honoured in
that holy place, serving the gods faithfully all

220 THE GOLDEN PORCH

his days. The gift of divining by fire re-
mained ever after with him and his, according
to Apollo's promise, and in the after ages, when
the sacred Games that Heracles founded were
become famous over the whole world, the
prophets of the glorious sanctuary were the
clan who had their name and lineage from the
Pansy Child,

THE HEAVENLY TWINS

PART I

^RAVELLERS in the ancient ages told that
A Laconia was the fairest land of all the king-
doms of the south. There you might journey
all day through groves of citron and of orange,
heavy with shining fruit, and sweet with blossom,
and rest in the heat of noon-tide where the leafy
sycamore and walnut trees made a pleasant shade
on the river-banks. And there the nightingale
sang all day long in the wayside copses, for the
flowering myrtles grew so thickly that not a sun-
beam could come through to tell her night had
gone. But the travellers said that in all Laconia
nothing could be seen more beautiful than the
maidens of the land. Peasant-girl or king's
daughter, they were all like queens to look
upon, tall and stately and marvellous fair. Now
there was once a maiden called Leda, and she
was as far above the rest in beauty as the moon
is brighter than the stars. It was said that the
old chieftain, her father, came out of the north

222 THE GOLDEN PORCH

country to dwell in Laconia, and indeed her
golden hair and milk-white skin showed plainly
that she was of northern race. So there was
much murmuring when the King chose her for
his bride, instead of taking to wife a princess of
his own kindred, and it was whispered among
the old folks that bad luck would come of it.

It happened, however, that the harvest that
year was very great, and the King was at peace
with all his neighbours. Moreover, Queen Leda
was gentle and gracious to her household, and
bountiful to the needy, so that the people began
to forgive her for being a foreigner. The next
year, in the spring, word came to her husband of
a great hunting to be held in the mountains
beyond the borders of his kingdom, to which
many chiefs and princes were gathering, and he
made ready to join them with a goodly company.
Very busy were his men, sharpening and burnish-
ing hunting-spears and knives, seeing to the
horses, and to the great Laconian hounds of
famous breed that could pull down wolf and
wild-boar, and even the mountain-bull. Busy too
was the Queen, looking well that her women
prepared all needful food for the journey, and
sorting out coverlets and bedding and garments
for the King's use, for he would perhaps be
many weeks among the hills. Then, when he
was gone, the palace seemed to her silent and

THE HEAVENLY TWINS 223

empty, and a strange sadness came into her heart.
That night she lay long awake, and when at last
she slept, her old nurse, who had crept in to
watch her, saw the tears stealing down her cheeks.
" Child of my heart," said the old crone, bending
over her, " never may the dream come true that
you weep to see."

" Nurse," said Leda, starting up, " have I been
asleep? Who spoke to me just now? Who
came and told me " She could say no more,
and hid her face in her hands.

The old crone made the sign that drives away
evil magic. " No one has entered, my Queen,"
she said. "Have I not kept watch at your
chamber-door ? This was some dream ; come,
let me hear it, it may be I can read it for you,
and if it bodes misfortune (which the gods
avert) you shall take counsel of some seer."

" No, no," cried Leda, and wrung her hands.
"To no one can I tell it. Let me alone, nurse."

Nor could the nurse coax her into saying
another word, and her silence vexed the old
woman, who had no small skill in signs and
omens.

Next morning, the Queen, as was then the
custom of queens, herself gave orders to her
women for all the work of the day ; and because
the time had come round for a great washing of
the household linen, she went down to the river

22 4 THE GOLDEN PORCH

to see that they did it properly. The younger
handmaids were very merry over this work,
which they liked much better than scrubbing
and scouring, and weaving and spinning indoors.
They knelt on the low bank and plunged the
clothes into the shallow running water, and some
of them tucked up their robes and paddled in to
tread the clothes clean on the pebbly river-bed,
just as Highland lassies used to do, not so very
long ago. The sun was but just risen when they
began their work, and all was done before the
heat of the day set in. Then they took their
pleasant meal of bread and figs and wine in the
grassy meadow, and some lay down to rest, but
the young girls began a game at ball. Many a
happy day had Leda spent in this way in her girl-
hood, and always, till to-day, she had loved to
watch the sport and join in the laughter and
singing, but now, because her heart was heavy,
she went and sat a little way off from the others,
thinking strange thoughts. "See," cried a girl
presently, as she tossed up the ball, "see those
two great birds flying overhead ! "

" Birds, said you," croaked the old nurse, peer-
ing up. " Ay, ay, wild geese, most like, of your
feather, my girl. Well may they flock hither, if
the old proverb hold true."

" Your tongue is sharper than your eyes, old
woman," laughed another handmaid, " for one of

THE HEAVENLY TWINS 225

those birds is an eagle. Look, sisters, look, how
fiercely he chases the other ! Round and round
they fly and lower and lower. See, the other is
wearied out ah, the beautiful creature, it is as
white as snow."

" It is a swan," said Leda coming forward. All
now stood still to watch this strange chase. The
swan was wearied out indeed, and its great white
wings flapped ever more feebly as it circled
downwards. Nearer and nearer it came to the
spot where the women stood, till they shrieked
and scattered in fear as the huge eagle swooped
after it close to their heads. Only Leda did not
move, and just as the beautiful bird sank at her
feet, she threw her arms round it with a cry of
pity, and shielded it with her mantle from those
cruel claws. And, strange to tell, the eagle
did not harm her. Up he soared into the sky,
higher and higher he flew, till he was seen no
more.

Now all the women had fled towards the
palace, for they made certain that the eagle
would kill the Queen with one blow of his
beak, and even the old nurse had hobbled off as
fast as she could for terror. Leda was left alone
with the swan on the river-bank. She drew her
mantle off the trembling bird, and stroked its
head and smoothed its silvery wings, and told it
it was safe, for the eagle was gone. It seemed to

p

226 THE GOLDEN PORCH

understand her, and came closer to her side, look-
ing into her face with its lustrous eyes.

"Beautiful swan," she said, "why have you
lingered in our country when winter has gone?
Always, when the summer is over, we see your
brothers and sisters come flocking from over the
mountains, and they live all winter in the reed-
beds of our river. But they fly back in the spring
to their own land, the far North land that was
once my father's home." " Lady," said the swan,
" far is that land, but not so far as mine. Farther
than ever swan has flown have I journeyed to look
on one who is whiter than any swan."

Then Leda trembled very much, for she knew
that this was not a real swan, and that the gods
could take any shape that pleased them, when
they came among men, and she bowed herself
humbly before the great bird. " Oh, my lord,"
she said, " be gracious to your handmaid. If
indeed I speak to one of the blessed gods, tell
me, I pray, by what name I may call you." This
she said, because the Immortals were most par-
ticular about being called by their right names.
" Fear nothing, sweet Leda," said the swan.
" As for my name, I am he whose servant is the
eagle. And I bade him chase me in this shape
to your feet, that I might learn if you are as kind
as you are fair." Then Leda knew that King
Zeus himself talked with her, and she was the

THE HEAVENLY TWINS 227

more afraid. But the swan bent his arching
neck, and laid his head gently on her arm.
" Because you did not fear to save the hunted
bird," he said, " ask what you will, and I will do
it." Leda remembered her dream, and the tears
sprang to her eyes. " Gracious Zeus," she said,
" I know not what to ask. I have everything a
queen can wish for, except children, and if you
had come to me only yesterday, that is the gift I
would have chosen. But last night I had a cruel
dream. I thought I stood before the holy temple
at Delphi, waiting while my husband inquired of
the oracle if children should be born to us.
Then a veiled messenger came out and said to
me, ' The priestess has spoken. Twin children
shall be born to King Tyndareus, an only son and
an only daughter, and they shall both be slain
while he yet lives.' At these words I awoke,
weeping, and my nurse asked me my dream. But
I dare not tell it to any one, for if the people
hear of it, they will say, 'This is what comes of
the King marrying an outlander,' and if my hus-
band hears of it, his heart will be turned from me
because I bring this evil on his house. Alas,
alas ! that the King should go down to his grave
childless, and leave no son to sit upon his throne.
And I have heard, O mightiest of the gods, that
even you cannot turn away their doom from
hapless mortals."

228 THE GOLDEN PORCH

" You have heard truly, lady," the swan
answered, " for a law that cannot be broken
governs all things in earth and heaven. Great
is the power of the gods, but it is like the power
of the sea, whose terrible waves cannot pass their
appointed bounds. Yet, with our help, the thing
that must come to pass may bring with it more
good than evil. So now take comfort, and when
your children come, the swan's gift shall come
with them. But remember that you tell no one
whence it came, nor who it was you saved from
the eagle." So saying, he flapped his broad wings
as if to fly ; softly they brushed across Leda's
eyes, and that instant she fell asleep.

Meanwhile, the women who had rushed home
to the palace crying that the Queen was killed,
came back with guards and serving-men to look
for her, and were very much astonished because
they could see no trace of her. Stranger still,
they could not find the spot where they had left
her. The flat and grassy bank where they had
spread the linen to dry was just as they had left
it, but a little way up stream, where the Queen
had stood, they saw instead of level meadow a
bed of tall reeds and rushes. " We are bewitched,"
they cried. " Yonder, just where the river makes
a bend, is the very spot where the swan alighted."
But the men mocked them, and said, " Are you
all crazed with fright, you silly wenches? What,

THE HEAVENLY TWINS 229

did you play ball in a reed-bed ? Come, show us
where you left our mistress, or it will be the worse
for you."

Now the old nurse had followed the others,
crying and lamenting, and expecting every
moment to see her lady lying dead. But when
she saw the rushes waving where no rushes had
been, it came into her mind that this might be
the Water Fairies' doing. These Fairies, who were
called Naiads in those days, are the gentlest and
kindest of all (the Tree Fairies are kind-hearted
too, but rather changeable, for their temper de-
pends a good deal on the weather), and they
delight in helping mortals in distress. One
reason is, that many of them were once mortals
themselves, who fell into the water, or jumped
in to get away from some enemy, and so were
drowned. The old nurse thought that one of
them had most likely made the rushes spring up
to hide Leda and the swan from the eagle. And
she was very nearly right, only the Naiad had
done it to make a bower for Leda while she
rested. So the old crone went boldly forward,
and pushed aside the screen of rushes. And
there, with joy and wonder, they saw their Queen
lying fast asleep, looking, as the old nurse said,
just like a snow-white swan in its nest among the
reeds.

Weeks went by and months went by, and still

230 THE GOLDEN PORCH

King Tyndareus did not come home from the
hunting. Word came that he had sworn friend-
ship with another prince who had saved his life
from a savage boar, and was gone to help him
win back his kingdom from a usurper. All this
time Leda kept the swan's secret, as he had
bidden her, and when the old nurse questioned
her about what had happened, she only smiled
and spoke of something else. So the old crone
told the other women that the Naiad had hidden
the Queen by enchantment in the nick of time,
and they all believed her, and often threw flowers
and cakes into the river to please that good fairy.
At last news was brought to the palace that the
King had helped his friend to win a great victory,
and was coming home with much spoil. Already,
said the messenger, he was near at hand, and in
two days' time he would enter the city. That
same night the Queen had a little son and a
little daughter, and they were put to sleep in
two ivory cradles beside their mother's bed. Before
sunrise next morning she was awakened by a sound
like the flapping of wings. She looked round, and
saw nothing only on the ledge of the open
window lay a white feather. Then she leaned
down and peeped into the cradles, and there,
beside each baby, was a swan's egg among the
pillows. "That is the gift," she thought, "but
what can be the use of it ? " and she took one of

THE HEAVENLY TWINS 231

the eggs in her hand to look at it. Instantly the
shell cracked in two, and she saw inside it the
loveliest baby, like a little doll. The tiny creature
stretched out its arms to her and smiled ; then,
quickly as you can blow a bubble, it grew in her
hand till it was as large as other babies. Full of
wonder, she took the egg from the other cradle,
and the same thing happened. The two swan-
children were as like as two peas, only the one
she had taken from her little son's cradle was a
baby boy, and the other was a baby girl. Leda
knew that directly, because all new babies suck
their thumbs if they are boys, and their fingers
if they are girls. Then Leda began to think hard
how she might keep the wonderful present with-
out telling who had sent it.

Now every one in the palace was so busy getting
ready for the King's home-coming that only the
old nurse could be spared to wait on the Queen,
so no one else knew yet of her having twins.
Leda resolved to show the old woman the swan-
babies at once, and make her promise to give
out that they also were the Queen's children.
" I will bring them up as my own," she said to
herself, " and so, even if my two poor little ones
must die untimely, the King and I will not be left
childless in our old age." And she gave thanks
to Zeus for his gift.

Quickly came the old nurse at her lady's call,

232 THE GOLDEN PORCH

and loud were her cries of wonder when she saw
the swan-babies. She willingly promised never to
tell any one they were not the King's children,
for she said, " One never knows what may happen,
and a king with one son is like a ship with one
anchor." But when she asked eagerly if Leda
had seen nothing and heard nothing of the babies'
coming, the Queen only said, " They were here
when I awoke." The old crone was very shrewd
and terribly inquisitive, and she thought to her-
self, " The Queen knows more than she will tell
me, or why is she not more astonished at this
marvellous thing ? She does not seem to think
it the least surprising to wake up and find four
babes instead of two. Something, for sure, has
troubled her since that dream she had, and I
shall have no rest till I find out what all this
means." So thinking, she began prying round
the room, and soon found two things that made
her more curious than ever. On the window-sill
was a white swan's feather, and under the cradle
of the girl-babies was the broken shell of a swan's
egg. Leda had hidden the other in her bed, but
this one had fallen to the floor, and she forgot it.
The cunning old crone said nothing, but the
moment Leda's back was turned she picked up
both eggshell and feather, and hid them in a
coffer. "Some day," she thought, "these tokens
may bring to light the truth."

THE HEAVENLY TWINS 233

A happy man was King Tyndareus when he saw
those lovely children, and they pleased him more
than all the treasures he brought home with him.

As time went on the two little princes grew up
to be the handsomest and bravest lads that ever
were seen in Laconia, and the two little princesses
were the talk of the whole kingdom for their
beauty. One of these maidens was dark-eyed
and dark-haired, and her name was Clytaemnestra:

' v

the other, who was called Helen, was so enchant-
ing in her loveliness that no one could refuse her
anything, and everybody spoiled her. Strangely
enough, although she was one of the swan-
children, she had the same violet eyes and golden
hair as Led a. The two princesses were sought in
marriage by so many king's sons, that their father
feared to bestow them on any lest the others
should take offence and make war upon him.
Therefore he invited all the suitors to a wedcjing-
feast, and said to them, " Princes, my daughters
shall make their own choice from among you, but
first you shall take an oath that whoever they
choose, all the rest of you will fight for my sons-
in-law if ever they are in need of help." All the
suitors agreed to this condition, and thus King
Tyndareus made sure allies for himself and his
family. The princesses were brought into the
hall to see their suitors, and they chose the two
sons of a king named Atreus, and were married

234 THE GOLDEN PORCH

that same day with great pomp and splendour.
Now what befell them afterwards is the most
famous of all stories, but here we bid them
farewell, for this tale is about their brothers.

PART II

AFTER the marriage of the two princesses, Queen
Leda said to her sons : " It is time that you went
on your travels, like other princes, in search of
brides, and brought me home two new daughters
to take the place of Helen and Clytaemnestra."
But Castor and Polydeuces had no mind to be
wedded, for they loved each other with a great
love, and desired nothing else than to pass
their whole lives together. So they said to
their mother : " Why should we bring stranger
women into our house, who like enough would
stir up strife between us, and vex your heart
also ? Nay, mother, we will let such things
alone till we are older. Nevertheless, we will
go on our travels and seek adventures as king's
sons are wont to do." And they set out to see
the world. Now these Twin Brethren had grown
up so like one to the other that none could tell
them apart, and neither the old nurse nor Leda
herself knew whether Castor or Polydeuces was
the swan-child. They went forth clad alike in
silver armour, and Castor drove the white horses

THE HEAVENLY TWINS 235

of their silver chariot, for although both were
marvellous tamers of horses, he was the better
charioteer. In the first city where they sojourned
they heard tidings of the ship that was to sail
from lolcos on the quest of the Golden Fleece,
and how Prince Jason was gathering brave com-
rades to go with him. Forthwith they hastened
to join themselves to that company, and at lolcos
they first saw Heracles, whose fame was already
great in their own land, and they sailed with
Jason in the ship Argo, and shared all those toils
and perils set forth in the tale of "The Lad with
One Sandal." Then, when Argo was come home
again, and Jason had recovered the kingdom of
his father, the Twins harnessed their white horses
that were left in Aeson's charge, and journeyed
southward to their own country. Their road led
them to a strong-walled city with seven gates, and
they entered one of the gates and asked the first
man they met the name of the city, who told
them it was Thebes. " Then we are come to the
city of a friend," cried Polydeuces, " for Thebes
is the home of Heracles. Is he here, stranger,
or have you tidings of him since he sailed with
the ship Argo ? We are his shipmates, but he
went not far on that voyage before he parted
from us."

" He has been seen in Thebes since then,"
answered the stranger, " but he is ever coming

236 THE GOLDEN PORCH

and going, for he never wearies of adventures,
and he is not here now. It is said he is gone
into the West with an army to war on a king
there who did him a foul wrong."

" We will go after him, then," said the Twins,
" and fight in his quarrel."

But the man of Thebes prayed them, if they
were friends to Heracles, to lodge with him that
night, and he brought them to his house, and
feasted them with the best. " Kind host," said
Castor, presently, " may we know your name ?
We would fain tell Heracles when we see him
which of his neighbours has received us so
hospitably for his sake." " My name is Am-
phitryon," said their host, smiling, " and when
you see Heracles, say that you lodged under his
own roof-tree, for he is my son. In this house
he was born after his mother and I fled hither
out of Argos, our own city, from the power of
a wicked king, and here, even in his cradle, Queen
Hera sought to destroy him in her pitiless hate."

"It seems then that the tales are true," said
Polydeuces, " which say that the Queen of the
Gods bears a deep grudge against your noble
son, and has wrought him toil and trouble with-
out ceasing. But as to the cause of this, some
say one thing and some another, and we would
gladly hear from you, Amphitryon, the whole
truth about the matter."

THE HEAVENLY TWINS 237

" I will tell you the tale from the beginning,"
said Amphitryon, and thus he told it. " My
brother and I were the sons of the King of
Argos, that ancient city beloved of Hera, and
when our father died, we should, by his com-
mand, have divided the kingdom, but my brother
turned the folk against me with lying accusations,
and I was forced to fly for my life, with my new-
wedded bride. And we came to dwell at Thebes,
where I was well received of the citizens because
I had good repute as a warrior. At that time
they made war upon certain islanders of the
West, and I was chosen captain of their host
because their prince was yet a child. By favour
of the gods, we were conquerors in that war, and
came home to Thebes laden with much spoil.
Now it was late at night when we reached the
city, and I would not sit down to feast and carouse
with the rest, but hastened to my own house,
that I might greet my wife. I found her asleep,
and I awoke her, thinking to see her overcome
with joy at my safe return, but she showed not
the least surprise at the sight of me, and when
I told her of the victory and the spoils, she said,
' All this, Amphitryon, you told me last night
when you came home.' You may guess, princes,
how these strange words troubled me ; at first I
thought my wife was crazed, but when I had
questioned her closely, I perceived that some god

238 THE GOLDEN PORCH

had visited her in my likeness. For she knew
everything that had passed in the war, and he
who had been with her, gave her a golden girdle,
saying it was from his share of the spoil. Now
I myself had brought her a golden girdle, and
when we laid the two side by side they were alike
down to every petal of the lotus flowers embossed
upon them. But Alcmena, my wife, believed
that I had played a trick upon her, and it vexed
her so that she showed me great coldness, and my
heart was much disquieted. Then, one night I
dreamed that the King of the Gods stood before
me in all his majesty, and said : ' Be not cast
down, Amphitryon ; it was I who visited Alcmena,
having a desire to behold and converse with her
in mortal shape, because it was reported to me
that she is the fairest of all women alive. Tell
her this, and say Zeus bids her be reconciled to
you. Also she shall have a sign from me that
she may believe, for twin sons shall be born to
her before a year goes by.' And as the god
promised, so it came to pass.

" Now, when the two babes were five days old,
as I was sitting in the market-place with elders
of the city, my wife's handmaids ran shrieking
towards us, and loudly called ' Help ! help !
Two monstrous serpents are in our lady's chamber
devouring her children.' I cried to my neighbours
to follow, and rushed with drawn sword into my

THE HEAVENLY TWINS 239

house. What think you I saw, my guests, as I
darted into the chamber of Alcmena ? She, her-
self, half-clad as she had leapt from her couch, lay
fainting by the cradle, her arms thrown round one
child, and two huge snakes were writhing on the
floor beside her. But they were writhing in death !
The other babe sat upright in the cradle, and his
tiny hands were gripping their scaly throats so
fiercely that the breath came in hissing gasps
from their red foaming jaws, and their glaring
eyes seemed bursting from the sockets. For one
instant that sight rooted me to the threshold-
then, even as I sprang forward, the heads of the
monsters fell back, and with a throttled cry they
breathed their last. My little son looked up at
me gravely, and, unclenching his hands, he let
the lifeless bodies drop thudding to the ground.
Then did I, and the men that followed me, give a
mighty shout of joy, and it roused Alcmena from
her swoon of terror, and she caught both children
to her breast, sobbing for gladness. News of the
marvel brought all the city flocking to our doors,
and with the rest came blind Teiresias, that aged
seer. Forthwith he prophesied to us concerning
the child, and said this deed was but the beginning
of wonders that he should do all his life long.
For Hera, he said, had sent those serpents, because
it angered her that Zeus praised the beauty of
Alcmena in the presence of all the gods, saying

2 4 o THE GOLDEN PORCH

he had seen none fairer in earth or heaven, and
the jealous goddess would avenge that slight
by contriving many another dire encounter for
Alcmena's son. Yet all the perils she brought him
into should but work him the more renown, and
therefore he should be named Heracles, which is,
being interpreted, * Glory that cometh of Hera.' :
When Amphitryon had made an end of his
story, both the Twins kept silence for a space,
and then Castor said, " Marvellous, in truth, are
the ways of the Immortals. But I would fain
hear one thing more ; is there no hope thrt the
wrath of Hera may yet be turned from your son,
our dear comrade, or will she be his enemy for
ever ? '' " Teiresias foretold that she would make
peace with him at last," answered Amphitryon ;
" nay, he spoke of strange bliss that she would
grant him one day, when he should rest from toil
and suffering in an eternal home. But, with your
pardon, I will not repeat that prophecy, for it
well-nigh passes belief that any man born of
woman should be exalted to such a height of
glory as it foreshadowed, nor do I desire it should
be known." " You do wisely to conceal it," said
Polydeuces, " for what men cannot credit, they
are ever ready to mock at. But I also would
hear one thing, if it be not unpleasing to you.
Since Alcmena has two sons, how is it that Hera's
hatred pursues Heracles, and not his brother also?"

THE HEAVENLY TWINS 241

"I can but guess," said Amphitryon, "that her
anger rests specially on the child who slew her
ministers, the serpents. Darker to me is the
cause of the measureless difference between my
twin sons ; the strength of Heracles you know,
and can bear me witness that it is as the strength
of a god, but Iphicles, his brother, is no stronger
than other men. It is not so with you, noble
sons of Tyndareus, whom I knew at first sight of
you by report from Heracles, for he said also that
you were alike in prowess as in form and face."

Long and late the Twin Brethren sat in
Amphitryon's hall, and still their talk was of
Heracles and his mighty deeds, of which his
father had much to tell that they had never
heard. For Heracles himself was very loth to
speak of his own wondrous acts to his friends.
Next morrow they took farewell of their host,
and set forth again to seek Heracles and his army
in the West, and made good speed upon the road,
but for all that, he was already returning home-
ward when they met him, so when glad greetings
had passed between the friends, the Twins told
Heracles how they had come in hope to fight by
his side, and asked what the feud was with King
Augeas, and how it ended. And Heracles told
them all the adventure, as it is set down in the
tale of " The Pansy Baby." But whilst he told of
the games held at the temple and tomb by the

Q

242 THE GOLDEN PORCH

ford, a new thing befell him, for Zeus sent the
spirit of prophecy upon him, so that he began to
speak like a seer, with chanting utterance, and
fixed, unseeing gaze. "Sons of Leda," he said,
" I have dedicated a sanctuary yonder by the river
for great Zeus, the protector both of me and
you, and I purposed to return ere long to see
the temple a-building. But it is revealed to me
even now that my time on earth is short, and
there is yet much work ordained for me to
accomplish before I pass away by a fiery doom.
Therefore I go not home till I have taken a far
journey, and brought to the sanctuary of Zeus
that which it sorely needs, for it lies in a treeless
plain, and no pleasant shade defends men there
from the scorching noonday sun ; but I will plant
it with shoots of those fairest trees which I saw
once in the Land Beyond the North Wind, when
I had chased through a thousand leagues of forest
the Hind with the Golden Herns. And when I
have done this, I must pass to those other labours
that await me, and before the fourth year comes
round, I shall be gone from earth. Now, I
appointed the fourth year for the renewal of the
Sacred Games, and since I may not hold that
second festival, I charge you both, as you are
true comrades to Heracles, fail not to hold it in
my stead. And now, farewell."

Then, before the Twins could stay him, he

THE HEAVENLY TWINS 243

turned and left them, going northward with great
strides, and they, sad at his words, went to their
own home. There was great joy in the house of
Tyndareus at their home-coming, and after that,
they wandered to far lands no more, though
many a brave deed and strange adventure were
theirs in neighbouring countries.

Now, when the fourth year was come, and the
midsummer season drew on in which Heracles
had held his festival, Castor and Polydeuces went
to the sanctuary by the Western river, to fulfil
their friend's last charge, and beheld the temple
of Zeus that lamos the Seer had builded, and a
grove of young trees about it, the like of which
they had never seen. For these were the first
olive trees that ever grew in the land of Greece,
and Heracles had brought them as he purposed
from the Land beyond the North Wind. Then
they asked lamos if he had any tidings of Heracles^
of whom they had long heard nothing, save con-
fused rumours of his distant wanderings. " This
very day," said the seer, " that great spirit has
departed from among men. Yes, for it was
shown me in a vision how he met the doom of
fire, and entered by that flaming gate into ever-
lasting bliss. Heracles had taken to wife the fair
Princess Deianira, and he loved her truly, but in
her folly she doubted of it, and caused him to
wear a tunic which she had anointed with a

244 THE GOLDEN PORCH

certain magic philtre. That philtre was the
blood of Nessus the Centaur, whom Heracles
shot with a poisoned arrow because he offered
insult to Deianira, and Nessus gave it her, as he
lay dying, telling her that it was a potent love-
charm. Thus was the Centaur avenged, for the
poison of the arrow was in it, even the deadly
venom of the hundred-headed snake that Heracles
slew of old, and dipped his shafts in its black
gore. So, when Heracles put on that tunic, it
clung, like eating fire, to his mighty limbs, and
in agony he strove to tear it off, but could not,
for the poison glued it to his flesh. Then, when
he saw he must die in that torment, he com-
manded a great funeral pyre to be raised and
kindled on the hillside, and cast himself alive
into the flames. Thus, in the sight of men he
seemed to perish, but I say to you, sons of Leda,
that in those flames the hero ascended bodily to
the halls of Zeus. Weep not for the comrade
you loved, for even now Queen Hera smiles upon
him, and leads him to the heavenly marriage-
feast, where he shall sit enthroned by her daughter
Hebe, youngest of the goddesses, whom Zeus
gives him for his bride."

Then said Castor, " Let us build here another
altar, and offer sacrifice to Heracles as to a god,
forasmuch as he, our man of men, is henceforth
numbered with the Immortals." And Polydeuces

THE HEAVENLY TWINS 245

said, " We will do so, yet, lest there be jealousy
in heaven, let us build altars also to the Twelve
Greatest Gods, save Zeus, whose altar Heracles
himself has built already." This was done forth-
with, and all the mightiest gods looked down
with favour on that Second Festival of the Games
that Heracles founded.

PART III

AFTER these things, a feud began between King
Tyndareus and another king, who was his kins-
man and neighbour, ruling a country on the
western border of Laconia. This king's name
was Aphareus, and he had two sons, Idas and
Lynceus, youths of the same age with Castor and
Polydeuces. Idas had no little renown as a
warrior, and he was very fair to look upon, but
Lynceus was swart and small in stature, and all
his delight was in woodcraft. It was hateful to
Lynceus to dwell within the four walls of a house,
and he passed his days and nights in the wide
forest, and lived by hunting. And he was the
best of hunters, though he had neither strength
nor skill in archery ; never man could track the
game as he did, for he had lynx-eyes, that saw
through rocks and through trees, and through

246 THE GOLDEN PORCH

the earth. Now, when the two kings fell to
feud, their sons began to make forays over the
border, and raided the cattle of their enemies ; but
at first King Tyndareus had the greater loss,
because Lynceus could spy his herds from leagues
away, and told his brother where he might sur-
prise them. But Idas kept a herd of red cows
that he set great store by, and one day Castor and
Polydeuces came upon them feeding in a vale,
and drove them off across the border, and the
herdsmen fled to tell their lord. Then Idas rose
up in great wrath, and swore that he would not
rest till he had slain those Twin Brethren, and
Marpessa his wife heard him. This Marpessa
had great beauty, so that many princes had sought
her in marriage, and even a god was among her
suitors. For the golden-haired Apollo himself
came to her father's house, and wooed her to
be his bride, but she chose rather to wed Idas,
and she said to the god, " When I am old and
grey, shall I be still dear to you, who are young
continually ? Nay, let me wed a lover who will
grow old along with me, to whose age-dimmed eyes
I shall still seem fair." And Apollo bore Marpessa
no malice for her choice, but was ever a friend to
her, and gave her timely warning of a doom that
threatened her husband. Therefore, when she
heard the angry words of Idas, she besought him
not to plan death for the Twin Brethren, for

THE HEAVENLY TWINS 247

that, she said, would prove his bane, if Apollo
had told her truly. But Idas paid her no heed,
and he bade Lynceus be on the watch for those
two marauders continually, so that when next
they came, he might lay some ambush for them.
Not many days after, Castor said to his brother,
" Let us make another raid beyond the border,
and see if there are not other cattle of Idas in
the glens of Mount Taygetos." So they came by
stealth to the wooded mountain, and it chanced,
as they went along, that Castor caught his foot
in the root of a beech, and fell, and his foot was
sprained in the fall. Polydeuces tore a strip from
his cloak, to bandage it, and looked for water,
but there was none at hand. "I will go find a
spring," he said, " and bring water in my helm to
lave your foot, and ease the pain. Only, I fear
lest the sons of Aphareus be abroad in these woods,
and come upon you thus helpless." " Do you see
yonder hollow oak ? " said Castor ; " that were a
safe hiding-place, if I crept within it." " Well
thought of," said Polydeuces, and kneeling down,
he drew Castor's arms round his neck, and bore
him on his back to the hollow tree. Then,
placing him carefully within it, he heaped brush-
wood against the trunk to hide the opening, and
went in search of water. But Lynceus was perched
on a crag of the mountain, keeping his watch,
and while Polydeuces was gone, he cast his eyes

248 THE GOLDEN PORCH

towards the glen where Castor sat in the oak,
and saw him through the tree-trunk as through
clear crystal. Down the rocks he bounded like
a wild goat, and flew to tell Idas, and they both
ran to the oak with the speed of the wind.
Never a word said Castor when he saw their
fierce faces, knowing full well that his hour was
come, but as Idas dragged him forth and plunged
a dagger into his side, he cried with a great voice
on his brother's name. Polydeuces heard the cry,
for he was that moment returning, and with a
roar like a wounded lion's, he rushed upon the
sons of Aphareus. Panic fear seized them at
that sudden onslaught ; they turned and fled
before him into the depths of the forest, yet
though they had the name of the swiftest runners
alive, he overtook them in a dusky hollow, where
a white headstone marked a solitary grave. Beside
that tomb, the resting-place of a king, their fore-
father, Idas and Lynceus turned to bay, and as
Polydeuces poised his spear for a throw, they
heaved aloft the headstone and hurled it upon
him. Full on the breast it struck him, but he
stood firm in his godlike strength, nor flinched
from the blow, and the next instant, his spear
pierced the heart of Idas, and Lynceus, in act to
flee once more, fell dead on his dead brother,
stricken by a thunderbolt from the blue.

For Zeus looked down with pity on the children

THE HEAVENLY TWINS 249

of Leda in their hour of anguish, and sent swift
vengeance on Castor's murderers. So perished
those two brothers, and the green grave of their
forefather was their funeral pyre ; there, with
none to pay them the last rites, their bodies
smouldered to ashes in the sulphurous flames of
the thunderbolt. But Polydeuces sped back to
his brother, and found him not yet dead, though
already the failing breath rattled in his throat. The
hot tears broke from his young eyes at that sight,
and with a deep groan, he said, " Do you see this,
O Zeus on high ? Alas, what hope, what help
is left to me, most wretched ! Now, King of
Gods, take away my life also, for what profits
it a man to live, bereft of his heart's friend ? '
Then straightway Zeus himself, in his own shape
of majesty, stood before him, with compassionate
look.

" Polydeuces," said the god, " you know not
what you ask. Death has claimed Castor, because
he is the son of a mortal father, but on you death
has no power, for you are not the son of Tyndareus,
nor of any man. I myself gave you being, and
brought you for a gift to Queen Leda, a tiny
babe, shut in the shell of a swan's egg. But now,
since you so love him whom you called brother,
that you strive to share his lot whether for good
or ill, I set a choice before you. It is yours, if
you so choose, to abide henceforth for ever in my

250 THE GOLDEN PORCH

palace halls, where you shall find comrades meet
for your warrior soul, even Athena, and Ares, Lord
of War. Or, if that content you not, you may
give half your birthright of immortality to Castor,
and the two of you shall lead a double life,
dwelling one day in the Nether World of the
dead, and the next, in the golden houses of Heaven.
Think well, Polydeuces, what your choice shall
be."

But in the faithful heart of Polydeuces there
was no thought of self. " Great Zeus," he cried,
" save my Castor, and be the rest as it may."
The god laid his hand on Castor's eyes, already
closed in death, and they opened, bright with new
life ; he touched the blue gasping lips, and the
rose-red flushed them once more. Castor drew
a deep breath, and raising himself on one arm,
he said, " Brother, I have surely slept. I thought,
but it was a dream, that Idas and Lynceus set
upon me while you were gone."

With a cry of joy, Polydeuces flung himself
into his arms, and when he looked up from that
embrace, they were alone. Then he told Castor
what had befallen, and how King Zeus himself
had stood beside them ; but Castor had seen no
one save Polydeuces when his eyes opened, for
they were holden from the sight of the god.
Now the touch of Zeus had made him whole
from head to foot, so that he rose up and walked

THE HEAVENLY I 1 WINS 251

lightly at his brother's side, and they came home
at the setting of the sun. But as the Twins
passed into the palace, the sun went down, and
they fell lifeless on the threshold, for that day
was Castor's day of doom, nor could Zeus him-
self give him one hour of earthly life, beyond his
destined span. Then there was weeping and
wailing in the house of Tyndareus, and Queen
Leda tore her golden hair for sorrow, beholding
those pale, silent forms of her beloved sons.
From ancient times, the kings of Laconia were
buried in rock-hewn sepulchres on the hillside
without their city, and in such a vault Tyndareus
laid the Twin Brethren. And all the land
mourned for them many days.

At this same time, Leda's nurse, now very
aged, lay on her death-bed, and when she felt
her hour was come, she sent for the King and
told him all she knew, and showed him the
swan's feather and the broken eggshell to prove
her tale. Tyndareus was filled with rage that
his wife had so deceived him, and reared as his
lawful heir a child who was none of his, and he
burst with drawn sword into her chamber, for he
had a mind to kill her.

" Basely have you dealt with me, Leda," he
cried to her, " and a bitter woe has your deceit
brought on my house. Yes, I well believe that
the gods, to punish such falseness, have cut off

252 THE GOLDEN PORCH

my only son, together with that stranger whom
you dared to call his brother. Now must I go
childless to my grave, but you shall not live to
see it."

Pale and trembling stood Leda before the
furious King, but she answered never a word.
Then suddenly a great light shone round about
her, and Tyndareus saw the Twin Brethren hover-
ing in that glory above her head. " My father,"
said Castor, in a voice of celestial sweetness,
" be not wroth with our dear mother, for all she
did was commanded her by most high Zeus."
And he revealed the whole truth to Tyndareus,
and bade him and Leda grieve no more, because
both he and Polydeuces were happy for ever.

"To you also," he said to them, "Zeus grants
happiness beyond the lot of other mortals, not
that your children shall reign after you, but that
you shall be called the father and mother of the
Heavenly Twins, the Saviours of men." When
Castor had thus spoken, the glory faded away,
and the radiant Brethren vanished with it.

But, ever after, just such a light would often
play over masts and sails of ships in peril at sea,
and immediately the tempest would cease. Some-
times, in its sudden glare, the sailors caught
sight of two princely youths standing on their
deck who disappeared the next instant. Often,
too, men hard pressed in battle saw two strange

THE HEAVENLY TWINS 253

warriors fighting in their ranks, arrayed in silver
armour, and riding on snow-white steeds, and
they were liker each to the other than any twins
that were ever seen. Before the charge of those
riders, the bravest foes, although they were ten
to one, broke and scattered in headlong rout, but
always when the victory was won they vanished
into air. A last a rumour spread (but none could
say how it arose) that these workers of deliver-
ance were the twin sons of Leda, whom the
gods had taken to themselves in their youthful
prime, and given them power to become saviours
of men after their death, as Heracles, their
comrade, was in his lifetime. And thereafter
shrines were built in many cities to Castor and
Polydeuces, whither many a warrior and seaman
whom they had succoured in dire peril came
with grateful heart to pay his vows of thanks-
giving.

" Back comes the chief in triumph

Who in the hour of fight
Hath seen the Great Twin Brethren

In harness on his right :
Safe comes the ship to haven

Through billows and through gales,
If once the Great Twin Brethren

Sit shining on the sails."

THE ISLE OF THE ROSE

CHAPTER I

IN the days when the world began, there was
an isle of the sea where the first roses bloomed
wild on the first rose trees that ever grew. From
its mountain peaks down to the very margin of
the sparkling waves, the isle glowed with their
crimson blossoms all the year, for in those days
Earth had perpetual spring. But this rose-
embowered land was like a fair garden haunted
by deadly serpents, for the folk who dwelt in it
were all wizards and warlocks. They were not
as other men, but could change their shape to
what they pleased, and they had the evil eye,
which has power to blight every living thing it
looks upon. The people of the neighbouring
isles and coastlands lived in continual dread of
that tribe of sorcerers, who were named the
Telchines, because, in the malice of their black
hearts they would sink ships by their enchant-
ments, and come flying on the wings of the wind

"55

256 THK GOLDEN PORCH

to blast crops or bewitch cattle by their baleful
glance.

In that far-off time, Zeus and his brethren
were yet unborn, and Kronos, the old sky-god,
was king over all. Now Earth, the mother of
gods and men, prophesied to Kronos that one
of his own children would drive him from his
heavenly throne, therefore he sought to destroy
them at their birth. But Rhea, his wife, hid
them all as soon as they were born, and put
stones wrapped in swaddling-bands into their
cradles, which Kronos cast into a pit of dark-
ness, in mistake for his children. The youngest-
born was Zeus, and him his goddess-mother
carried secretly to a cave on a lonely mountain,
where the Fairies of the Rocks nursed him, and
the Wild Men of the Woods kept up a din of
nights with drums and cymbals, lest Kronos
should hear his baby cries. And when the
young god grew to his full strength, he brought
Earth's prophecy to pass, for he drove his father
from the sky to the Sunset Isles at the World's
End, and sat upon his throne. That self-same
day, certain ancient women, lame and limping,
stood before the throne, and Zeus asked them
who they were. " We are the Prayers of Men,"
they answered, " sent up from earth to call down
vengeance on the evil Telchines, who, by foul
magic, lay waste fields and vineyards, and strike

THE ISLE OK THE ROSE 257

dead the firstlings of the flocks. We are lame,
like all our sisterhood, and hobble slowly on our
errands, yet of all messengers we are the surest
in the end." Then the wrath of Zeus was
kindled against that wizard-folk, and he hurled
down red-hot thunderbolts, and rained a great
rain upon the sea, till its waters boiled like a
cauldron, and broke in monstrous billows over
the isle of the Telchines. The bed of the
deep rocked and heaved where the thunderbolts
crashed upon it through the seething waters,
and in that shock the foundations of the isle
crumbled beneath it, and it sank with all its
roses fathoms down under the waves. So
perished the Telchines, yet there were some of
them who by their art had foreknowledge of
the coming doom, and fled betimes to another
land, where, for fear of Zeus, they wrought
evil no more, but won a great name for skill in
the working of iron, which they, of all mortals,
first found a way to forge and temper.

Now Zeus kept for himself the kingdom of
the sky, and gave his brother Poseidon dominion
over the seas and rivers, but as for the Earth,
he portioned it out by lot among the other gods.
But it so chanced that Helios, the Sun-god, was
not present with the rest at the drawing of lots,
and thus no land was allotted for him to call
his own. Pure and holy was that light-giving

R

258 THE GOLDEN PORCH

god, and when next he came into the heavenly
halls, it grieved the Immortals that they had
forgotten him and left him portionless. Then
Zeus would have cast lots again, but Helios said,
" Nay, King of us all, of that there is no need.
For, as I journey from East to West in my
flaming car, I have looked down into the deeps
of the sea, and have seen a fair isle growing
up under the waves, as it were a rose upon its
stem. Let that isle be my portion when it rises
into upper air, and bid the Three Weird Sisters,
whose word is law in Earth and Heaven, promise
with a binding oath that it shall remain my
heritage for ever."

So Zeus called the Three Weird Sisters, and
they came and stood before him, grey-haired
women, robed in grey. Now they were older
than Time and the beginning of things, yet none
who looked on their calm faces could tell if they
were old or young. The First Sister was winding
black threads and white threads on a spindle ;
the Second was spinning with a golden distaff;
the Third had in her hand a pair of shears. And
the threads were the lives of men, which, when the
Second Sister had spun to the length ordained for
them, the Third cut short with her glittering
shears. Zeus bade them swear as Helios desired,
and they said, " We will swear by the Loathly

THE ISLE OF THE ROSE 259

Water, for that great oath binds all the ever-
lasting gods." Forthwith Zeus sent Iris his
messenger to fetch some of that water, which
rises in a fount called Styx, that is to say
"Hateful," and falls down a cleft of the Earth
into the Under World. Colder than ice is the
Loathly Water, and deadly to drink, and the
strongest vessel cannot contain it, for it shivers
even iron in pieces. But the gods know that the
only cup which can hold it is an ass's hoof, and
in such a cup Iris brought it to the Three Sisters.
Then the Second Sister held the cup on high, and
swore by the Loathly Water that Helios should
be lord of the isle, from the day it arose out of

j

the waves to the end of time, and she poured out
the water on the ground. For she it is who
gives to all that live, both gods and men, their
share of good and evil, but the other two have
power in the hour of birth and of death.

It was the sunken land of the Telchines that
Helios had marked springing upwards like a tree
from its root in the ocean floor, and not many
times did he journey round the sky before it
shone, green as emerald, on the silver breast of
the sea. The Sun-god poured down his keenest
rays on the hills and vales until the salt ooze of
the deep was dried up from their leafy thickets,
once blossoming with a million roses. Those

260 THE GOLDEN PORCH

flowers had perished in the waves, but a fairer
flower lay in the midst of the wild-briar coverts
a sleeping maiden with cheeks like rose-leaves and
hair golden as the rose's heart. Helios beheld
her in joy and wonder, and hastened his fiery-
footed horses westward, that he might visit this
treasure of his isle when he had stabled them in
his ocean palace. Then, in the purple twilight,
he came to the bower where the maiden lay still
sleeping, and awoke her with a kiss. And her
eyes opened from a slumber of years to behold
that radiant god, for she was the Fairy of the
First Rose Trees, who had slept an enchanted
sleep ever since the sea closed over the Telchines'
isle. In all the Earth, Helios the all-seeing had
seen nothing so lovely as her face, and he pro-
mised, if she would be his bride, to make her
Queen of his sea-born land and call it by her
name, and from that hour to this, it has been
called the Isle of the Rose. But at first she wept,
because all her flowers were drowned, and where
her tears fell, they became white roses, and the
white roses she kissed turned red.

Seven sons were born to Helios and the Rose
Fairy, who, when they were grown to manhood,
gathered a folk together from overseas, and
builded a fair city on a hill of the isle. Then
they said to their father, " We would have a

THE ISLE OF THE ROSE 261

temple in the high place of our city, according
to the custom of men, wherein one of the Im-
mortals may abide, and bless us as his own people.
And we know that this land is yours for ever,
therefore in your honour we will build the temple."
But Helios forbade them, and said, " It is not foi
me, who day by day must guide the chariot of
the sun, to dwell in any temple made with hands.
I will teach you what you must do to win a divine
guardian for your city. There is rumour in
Heaven of a prophecy uttered by Mother Earth
that a new goddess will be born ere long, whose
mighty power will prosper with boundless wealth
and glory the city she chooses for her abode. And
it is foretold that she will choose the city of those
who first honour her with a burnt sacrifice. So
now build a temple, even as you desire, and be
ready, when you hear tidings of such a birth, to
offer a sacrifice forthwith to the new Immortal."
The seven princes did as they were bidden, and
they laid wood on the altar of the temple, ready
to be kindled when the time came. Now it
befell, while all the gods sat in council one day,
and talked together, after their manner, about the
affairs of mortals, that Zeus fell into deep thought,
pondering how he might rule his kingdom for
the best. Then, on a sudden, his brain throbbed
with mighty pangs, and he cried aloud in his

262 THE GOLDEN PORCH

anguish to Hephaestus, the lame smith of the
gods, " Take your axe, Hephaestus, and cleave
open my head, lest it burst in pieces, for this
pain is as it were a live thing, struggling to come
forth." Straightway Hephaestus heaved up his
axe, and cleft the head of Zeus, and behold, a
thick cloud of fiery vapour rose up from the
wound, like a pillar of smoke. But even as the
astonished gods looked upon it, its form was
changed to the likeness of a woman of tall stature
and glorious aspect, wearing a crested helm, and
brandishing a spear, and she sprang down in the
midst of them, uttering a great war-whoop. At
that cry, the heavens trembled, and the earth was
shaken, and the gods themselves shuddered on
their golden thrones. And the Four Winds car-
ried the tidings East and West and South and
North, that a new goddess was born into the
world, the daughter of Zeus without a mother.
The seven sons of Helios no sooner heard it,
than they took offerings of all the first-fruits of
their land, and hastened to the temple they had
built, which crowned the hill whereon their city
stood. But in their haste, they forgot one thing ;
when they had laid the sacrifice on the altar,
they found too late that none of them had
brought fire to kindle the wood, and so they left
the offering there unburnt, praying the daughter

THE ISLE OF THE ROSE 263

of Zeus to accept it with favour, and went their
way. Meanwhile, the men of another city, though
they knew not the prophecy concerning the god-
dess, were zealous to do her honour as soon as
they heard the wondrous tale of her birth, being
indeed the most pious folk in all the world, and,
after the sons of Helios, they were the first of
mankind to offer her sacrifice, nor did they neglect
to burn it with fire. Therefore the daughter of
Zeus came to abide in their city, and was its
mighty defender ever after, and because she loved
it exceedingly, she made it more glorious than
any other city has been, or will be. And from
its name, which was Athens, she took her own
great name of Athena.

Nevertheless, the goddess was not unmindful
of the prayer of the seven princes, whose sacrifice
was the first, although it was imperfect, and she
-asked Zeus to reward them for honouring her,
with some gift that would make their city flourish.
So Zeus, for her sake, snowed golden snow upon
the Isle of the Rose, which sprinkled all the hills
with glittering flakes, and filled the valleys with
dazzling drifts, till the Sun-god's children and
their people were weary of gathering it, and their
storehouses were full to overflowing with the
wondrous treasure. After this, Athena herself
appeared to the seven princes, fair and terrible, in

264 THE GOLDEN PORCH

her shining armour, and said to them : " My father
has recompensed your good intent towards me
with showers of gold, but I will give you a gift
far above wealth, even the gift of wisdom. For
I have wisdom beyond all the Immortals, except
King Zeus, because I was born from his brain, and
I can bestow it on whomsoever I will. Now,
then, you shall become wiser than the wisest seers,
and have such knowledge of all arts and handi-
crafts that you shall work greater wonders by
pure skill than ever the Telchines did in this isle
by unhallowed wizardry." And as the goddess
promised, so it was ; the children of Helios be-
came master-workers in every craft then known
among men, and of many more they were the first
inventors. No such skilful shipwrights ever lived
before, no such cunning artificers in metal, no
such marvellous builders of masonry. But most
of all their fame went abroad for works which all
who beheld them deemed things done by witch-
craft, for there was no shape of man, or beast, or
bird, but they could make an image of it, molten
or graven, so perfectly that it seemed alive. Re-
port of these marvels, and their boundless wealth,
drew strangers from all lands to the Isle of the
Rose, until the seven princes were forced to build
other cities also, because of the multitude of their
folk. So, in the after time, the land of the First

THE ISLE OF THE ROSE 265

Roses, the Sun-god's chosen heritage, became the
home of a great people, and its name was famous
in all the earth for their riches, and for those
same arts which the seven sons of Helios learned
by grace of Athena.

THE FIRST HORSE

' I 'HERE was a king of the olden time who
A heard a prophecy that the child of his only
daughter would destroy him. This daughter was
the loveliest princess in the world, and her name
was Danae. Her father loved her well, but when
he heard that prophecy, he shut her up all alone
in a brazen tower, and let no one come near her
except himself, for he thought, " My daughter
shall never marry, lest she have a child who
brings me doom." The fair young princess was
very lonely in her tower ; all day she had nothing
to do but comb her golden hair and spin with
her silver distaff, and gaze through barred case-
ments at the hills and woods, where she longed
to wander free. The stern King forbade her
even to show herself on the roof of the tower
by day, but at night she would often go there
to weep and bewail her lot under the stars. Now
it chanced one midsummer night, that the King
of all the Fairies saw her weeping, and heard

her saying that she would not be so unhappy

267

268 THE GOLDEN PORCH

if only she had one living thing to love and to
play with in her prison. He took pity on the
captive princess, and when she lay down to sleep,
he came and whispered in her ear, " Danae, the
Fairies have sent you a playfellow." Danae
awoke, and behold, a shower of gold was falling
round her and drifting into a heap upon her
bed. But when she put out her hands to touch
the Fairy gold, the heap turned into a beautiful
little child, whose yellow hair was bright as sun-
shine. Overjoyed, she took him into her arms,
and hushed him to sleep, but she herself could
sleep no more that night for thinking of this
wonderful gift the Fairies had sent her.

Next morning, the King came as usual to the
tower to see how his daughter fared, and found
her playing with the child. " Daughter," said
he, " whose child is this, and how came he
here ? "

" He is mine," said the princess ; " the Fairies
have sent him to me, in pity for my loneliness."

At these words, fear and wrath possessed the
King, for it seemed to him that this must be the
child spoken of in the prophecy. Moreover, he
did not believe the Fairies had sent him, but
thought that Danae had by some means con-
trived to have him brought into the tower so
that she might rear up a child to slay her father

THE FIRST HORSE 269

and release her. So that cruel King shut up the
princess and the babe in a great chest, and had
it thrown into the sea. But the gods did not
suffer them to perish ; the chest drifted to an
island, where certain fishermen drew it ashore in
their nets, and, having opened it, ran to tell the
King that a lovely lady and her child were
cast in wondrous wise upon his shores. The
island King received Danae with all kindness,
but when he asked her who she was, she would
only tell him that she was a princess from a far
country, who had escaped from shipwreck in
that chest with her little son. For she feared
the Fairy child would be taken from her, if she
told all the truth.

Now, because of Danae' s beauty, the island King
would fain have wedded her, but she would have
none of him, saying that all her love was given
to her son, and when the King saw that his suit
was vain, he began to hate Perseus, for so the
child was called. Yet he bided his time until
Perseus was grown a lad, and then, with a show
of friendliness, he said to him, " Such a noble
youth as you are should not be content to live
in sloth at his mother's side, when there are
great deeds to be done. I know of an adventure
that will bring you everlasting fame, if you can
brave the peril of it."

270 THE GOLDEN PORCH

" Tell me what it is," said Perseus, " for I long

to win renown.'

" Far in the West," said the King, " there
dwell three wondrous sisters, called the Gorgons,
who have the faces and forms of beautiful women,
but they are winged, and instead of tresses black
snakes grow on their heads. Two are immortal,
but the third, whose name is Medusa, is mortaj,
and to slay that dire creature were a feat worthy
of the mightiest hero."

Forthwith Perseus was fired with longing to
achieve that enterprise, and he set out on the
quest, in which he would have perished, as the
King hoped, had not a goddess befriended him.
Athena, who loves the brave, came to meet the
youth as he drew near the lonely western moun-
tain where the Gorgons dwelt, and he greeted
her without fear, for in those days the Immortals
walked freely among men.

"Prince," she said, "how is it you are come
without a shield to slay Medusa ? r

" I have my sword," said Perseus, " and why
should I need a shield ? '

Then the goddess told him a thing that the
King purposely kept hidden from him, namely,
that Medusa's eyes turned all who looked on
them to stone. " Take my burnished shield,"
she said, " and look thereon as on a mirror, while

THE FIRST HORSE 271

I lead you backwards to the Gorgons. She whom
you will see in the shield, sitting between her
sisters, is Medusa, and by help of that mirror
you must make shift to smite off her head."

Perseus did just as he was bidden, and with
eyes still fixed on the bright shield, he cut off
Medusa's head at one blow. Then the other two
Gorgons rose on their great wings into the air,
and hovered above their dead sister, shrilling out
a weird lament. There was strange beauty in
that mournful strain ; tears filled the eyes of
Perseus as he listened to it, nor did Athena
herself hear it unmoved. And in after times
she devised the first flute, that she might imitate
the Gorgons' wailing tones, and taught mortals
to play thereon the tune which is still called
"Medusa's Dirge."

But now, as the Gorgons sang, Perseus saw a
wondrous sight. Forth from the ground where
Medusa's blood lay in a dark pool, sprang a
four-legged creature, the like of which neither he
nor any man had ever seen. For it was the First
Horse. Perseus ran to the beautiful, prancing
beast to seize him by the mane, but the First
Horse had wings, and straightway he soared aloft
and passed from sight. Then Athena took
Medusa's head and fixed it in the centre of her
shield, and she covered it with her veil. " Take

272 THE GOLDEN PORCH

this home with you," she said to Perseus, " and
use it as you shall see need, but remember that to
look on it is death."

Now when Perseus came home, he found that
the island King had bound Danae in chains and
cast her into a dungeon because she would not
wed him. So he uncovered the shield, and
brandished it before the eyes of the King and his
servants, and they were turned to stone. After
that, he achieved many adventures by help of the
Gorgon shield, before Athena took it to herself
again, because the power of it was too great to be
left in mortal keeping, and in the end he slew
Danae's father, yet he did that by mischance.

Thus the prophecy was fulfilled, and thereafter
Danae and her Fairy child lived happy to their
lives' end. But now hear the story of the First
Horse.

That day he was born from the Gorgon's blood,
he flew over land and sea to a high mountain,
nigh to a city called Corinth. There was no water
on the mountain for him to drink, but he stamped
with his shining hoof upon the ground, and a clear
spring gushed forth. This was seen by certain
woodcutters, who went hastily to the city and
told the King that a marvellous beast had appeared
on the mountain. Then the King's son, whose
name was Bellerophon, went to hunt the beast, but

THE FIRST HORSE 273

when he saw the First Horse, he wished to take
him alive, for he seemed as gentle as he was
beautiful, and showed no fear of man. But the
Horse, though he let Bellerophon come near, and
stroke his neck, broke away whenever he tried to
hold him, or to jump on his back, till at last the
King's son went home discouraged. And the
people of Corinth called the strange new creature
Pegasus, which means " Wellspring ' in their
language, because he made the water flow. Now
Bellerophon thought for many days how he might
catch the Horse and tame him, and at length he
asked the seer of the city what to do, saying, " If
I could but master this Pegasus, he would carry
me swifter than the wind." "My counsel is,"
said the seer, " that you go this night to the
temple of Athena and pray the goddess to help
you. Then lie down to sleep on the altar, and
it may be she will show you some device in
a dream." Bellerophon followed his counsel
and scarcely had he fallen asleep when Athena
appeared to him in a dream, and said, " Awake,
King's son of Corinth. Behold, I bring you a
golden charm which will tame Pegasus as soon as
you bind it about his jaws. And when you are
lord of him, offer a white bull to Poseidon, the
Earth-shaking god, and hang up the charm over
my altar, for we two, in love to this city, sent the

s

274 THE GOLDEN PORCH

First Horse hither to be the servant of man."
Bellerophon awoke, and he was alone, but he
knew he had had a true vision, for behold a
golden thing lay beside him, the like of which
was never seen on earth before. He showed it to
the seer, and told the vision, and then joyfully
he hastened to the mountain with the charm.
Pegasus stood still as though enchanted while he
slipped it over his head and between his teeth,
and from that moment the King's son could guide
him at will. Thus, ever after, Corinth had
renown as the place where the First Horse was
tamed by help of the First Bit and Bridle.
And two memorials of the wonder remained there
to later ages, even the Fountain Pirene, which
Pegasus made to flow from the hillside, and that
golden gift of Athena, which Bellerophon, as she
bade him, dedicated in her temple.

Now Bellerophon rode his winged steed far and
wide over land and sea, wherever he heard of
monsters to be slain, or wicked kings to be over-
thrown, and he ridded the earth of many such,
shooting his arrows upon them from the bosom
of the air.

But at last, in the pride of his heart, he boasted
that he would mount up to Heaven and enter the
abode of the gods, and so he came to no good
end. For Zeus caused a gadfly to sting Pegasus

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THE FIRST HORSE 275

as he soared upward, and his sudden plunge
threw Bellerophon from his back. No mortal
eye saw rider or horse again, and of the rash
prince's fate those who were wisest spoke the
least, but of Pegasus it was told that he rested
thenceforth in those shining stalls where the horses
of the gods feed from golden mangers.

THE BUILDERS OF TROY

CHAPTER I

)SEIDON and Apollo, who were ever fast
A friends, once took such displeasure at King
Zeus that they plotted to drive him from his
throne. But he was ware of it, and armed him-
self with his flaming thunderbolts, wherewith to
dash the rebels down from the battlements of the
sky into the Lake of Darkness under the earth.
And this he would have done, had not the gentle
Leto, Apollo's mother, stayed his uplifted arm,
and entreated him to spare her child. Then
Zeus, for love of that fair, gracious goddess, said
he would not cast Poseidon and Apollo into the
gloomy Under World, but they must atone for
their fault by a year of penance on earth, and
dwell as hired servants in the house of some
mortal.

So the two gods wandered through many lands
in the guise of labouring men till they came to
the city of a king called Laomedon, and offered
to serve him for a year. The King was content,

27?

278 THE GOLDEN PORCH

and agreed with them for a certain wage, which
he said he would pay them at the year's end.
Now Apollo seemed a mere lad, and him the
King sent to keep his sheep among the hills, but
Poseidon appeared a strong, full-grown man, fit
for the hardest toil, therefore he was set to the
work of a mason. Laomedon soon saw that his
new servant was a marvellous builder ; no one
had ever been seen in that land who could hew
stones into shape so deftly, and lay them so truly
in their courses. One day he called Poseidon to
him, and said, " I see, churl, that you do not lack
for skill, and I have a task for you that will put
it to proof. This city of mine has no defences
but earthen ramparts, and palisades of timber ;
build me a wall of hewn stones round it, and look
that the work be done by the year's end."

"What men shall I have to help me, King?"
said Poseidon.

"You shall have none, churl," said the King,
" unless you choose to call the lad, your comrade,
from the sheepfolds." And he went away laugh-
ing in his beard.

This Laomedon was a hard man, and very
greedy of gain, and he had spoken thus to
Poseidon with intent to defraud him of his
wages, for he never dreamed that one pair of
hands could build a wall round the city within a
year, and he meant to send away the stranger

THE BUILDERS OF TROY 279

without payment when the time came, on the
pretext that his task was not performed. But
Poseidon sent word to Apollo to come and help
him, and day by day the wall rose higher and
higher under their tireless hands, until a thick
ring of massive stone encircled the city, pierced
with gateways that were flanked by lofty towers.
Only, at one point, there remained an opening
wide enough for a man to pass through, where
the wall was still unfinished. All this was done
by the last day of the full year that the two
gods were bound to serve Laomedon, and on the
morning of that day, he himself came to view the
wall. Then said Poseidon, " Be pleased, O King,
to pay the wage promised to me and my fellow,
for the year is over, and the wall is builded."
But Laomedon spied the gap in the wall, and
with feigned anger he said, " Base churls that you
are, you have left your task undone, and do you
presume to claim wages ? Begone, or I will make
you rue this insolence." " Take heed to your
words, Laomedon," said Apollo, "we have served
you faithfully, and claim but our just due. As
for yonder gap, an hour's work will suffice to
close it, and that we will see to before departing."
" Do you bandy speech with me, malapert boy ? "
cried the King. " I tell you, since the sun is
risen already, the work is not completed by the
day appointed. Now, by all the gods, if you

2 8o THE GOLDEN PORCH

loiter here but till to-morrow, I will spoil that
dainty face of yours, and crop the ears from your
head." So saying, he turned and strode haughtily
away. "Apollo," said Poseidon, "I have a mind
to swallow up this King in an earthquake, and his
city along with him, for the year of our servitude
is ended, and I am free to use my power once
more." " Nay," said the golden-haired god,
" that must not be. I can foresee the doom
that waits him, but the cup of his iniquity is not
yet full. I will tell you what we may do to pre-
pare the way of the comer who shall destroy him.
If this wall were wholly built by immortal hands,
the city could never be taken by an enemy, but
if we cause a mortal man to fill up the gap we
have left, then other mortals will be able to make
a breach through his handiwork. Let us go hence,
and seek some skilful builder among men, whom
we may bring hither to finish the wall ; so, when
Laomedon sees it to-morrow, he will believe that
we ourselves closed the gap." " I know of such
a builder," said Poseidon. " Wait for me the
while, and I will bring him to you." With that,
he went quickly to the sea-beach near the city,
and called up his white horses from the deep,
and straightway they came to him, harnessed to
his golden car. Poseidon mounted the chariot,
and urged his horses onward over the sea-waves
till he came to a certain island that was called

THE BUILDERS OF TROY 281

Aegina. Here dwelt a wise and holy king named
Aeacus, so famed for his justice that the gods
themselves resorted to him for judgment when
disputes arose between any of them. Aeacus
was born in that island, and grew up there all
alone, for in those days it was desert, but at last
he prayed to Zeus that he might have folk to
rule over, and Zeus turned all the ants of the
island into men. And these men did not know
how to plough and sow, nor the use of fire, nor
how to build houses, until Aeacus taught them
all these and many other arts, which he had
found out for himself. This King it was who
first made sailing-ships, and coined silver into
money, but in nothing was he more skilful than
in building with stone.

When he now saw Poseidon, he greeted him
as a friend, for the gods were no strangers to his
house, and having heard what service was required
of him, he entered the golden chariot, and they
came swiftly over the sea to the city of Lao-
medon. Then Aeacus built up the gap in the
wall, and before sunset he put the coping-stone
on his masonry, which was fitted so smoothly to
the rest that no eye could see where the gap had
been. But, as he laid the last stone in place, the
watching gods cried to him to draw back, and he
stood aside to mark a strange marvel. Two huge
serpents came gliding along, proudly arching their

282 THE GOLDEN PORCH

emerald necks, straight to the new-finished wall,
and hurled themselves upon the battlement. It
seemed their mighty spring would carry them
clear over it, but their bodies struck the stone-
work with a dull thud, and the monsters fell
back, writhing in throes of death. Instantly a
third serpent, whose head was crested with golden
plumes, darted to the spot, reared its great coils
aloft, and sprang over the wall, uttering no
serpent's hiss, but, strange to tell, a ringing
battle-cry. Straightway Apollo bounded to the
wall, and laying his hand upon it, thus he spoke :
" To you, Aeacus, this sign is sent by Zeus, who
has you ever in his keeping. Hear now what it
betokens. The three serpents are three princes
of your blood who will fight against this city ;
two must perish beneath its wall, but the third
shall break in at this very place where your own
hands have raised the bulwark, and shall burn the
city with fire."

"Prophet of Zeus," said Aeacus, "when shall
these things come to pass ? "

" In the fourth generation," answered Apollo,
" for those princes are your children's children
yet to be. But hear this also ; although the city
will not be destroyed in your lifetime, you will
live to hear that it is taken in war by your own
son, and in that day the wicked Laomedon shall
be slain, who has dealt so treacherously with us."

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THE BUILDERS OF TROY 283

While Apollo spoke, the sun went down, and
twilight fell upon land and sea. Aeacus saw two
chariots draw near, glimmering in the dusk, and
on one of them Apollo mounted, and went north-
ward swifter than the wind. Then said Poseidon,
" Apollo goes to the land beyond the North Wind,
to visit the folk who honour him above all gods,
and hold high festival with them now his year of
servitude is past. And I too will visit the temple
I love best of all that mortals have built for me,
which stands between two seas, not far removed
from your island of Aegina. Come, let us be
going, for I will bring you home on my way
thither." So the three builders departed from
the wall, and in the morning Laomedon came
again, and was well pleased because it was finished,
and the labourers he hired were gone without
payment. But as for the bodies of the two
serpents, they were vanished from the place before
he came.

After this, Laomedon gathered all the people
of the land into his city, bidding them dwell no
more in villages, as aforetime, because he had
built a stronghold where they might be safe from
every enemy, and being exceedingly proud of his
fair town, girdled with that many-towered wall,
he commanded them henceforth to name them-
selves Trojans, after the name of it. For that
city was called Troy.

284 THE GOLDEN PORCH

Now Poseidon could not endure to see the evil
King in such prosperity, and ere long he caused
the sea to overflow his land, even to the walls of
Troy, so that crops and cattle were swallowed
up. Then Laomedon called the soothsayers to
advise some remedy against the flood, and they
all declared that the waters would not roll back
from the land until a certain sea-monster was
appeased with prey, which they said swam every
night to the city walls. The King had sheep and
goats and oxen thrown into the waters, but to no
purpose, and at last the soothsayers told him
nothing would satisfy the monster but the flesh of
a young maiden. Thereupon the King made all
the Trojan maidens draw lots, which should be
thrown to the beast, and behold, the lot fell on
his own daughter, Hesione. But it chanced that
Heracles, on his travels about the world, came
that very day to the house of Laomedon, while
all were loudly bewailing the doom of the prin-
cess, and having heard the matter, he said to the
King, "What reward will you give me, if I slay
this monster ? '

"Whatever you will," said the King, "to the
half of my kingdom."

"I shall be content," said Heracles, "if you
will give me two horses of that wondrous breed
which men say the gods gave to your father."

"Gladly will I give them," said the King, and

THE BUILDERS OF TROY 285

immediately Heracles waded out into the flooded
meadows where the monster lay wallowing, and
shot him dead with arrows from his mighty bow.
Then the sea-waters drew back like an ebbing
tide, so that the Trojans saw the carcase of the
fearful creature, with huge jaws opened wide,
lying stranded on their fields, as it were the black
hull of a great ship. Nevertheless, Laomedon
hardened his heart to yet another deed of wicked-
ness, and drove Heracles awav with threats and

v

revilings, when he claimed his reward. " This is
your hour," said Heracles, as he went away, " but
mine will come." For he was bound on an errand
of the king whom he served at that time, and
might not delay to fight in his own quarrel.

CHAPTER II

WHEN Aeacus came back to his island, heavy
tidings were brought to him, for it had chanced
that while his three sons were playing at quoits,
the eldest threw his quoit slantwise, and it struck
the youngest on the head, and killed him. Now
the two elder were the sons of their father's first
wife, but the youngest, whose name was Phocus,
was the child of their stepmother. So when the
two elder princes saw that their half-brother was

286 THE GOLDEN PORCH

dead, they fled out of the island, for their father
loved him the best, and they feared lest he
should believe they had murdered the lad out
of jealousy. These princes were called Telamon
and Peleus, and the adventures that befell Peleus
are known to you already. But Telamon, the
eldest, was betrothed to the daughter of a king
who ruled the island called Salamis, and to that
island he fled, while Peleus went to seek his
fortune in distant lands. There Telamon took
a solemn oath that he had slain Phocus by mis-
chance, and the King of Salamis purified him
of the blood-guilt by prayer and sacrifice, as
the manner was, and promised to give him his
daughter in marriage when he had mourned for
his brother a year and a day. Before that time,
however, the King fell sick and died, and because
he had no son the folk of Salamis chose Telamon
to rule over them in his stead. Thus he became
King, and at the year's end he married the
princess.

On his marriage day, Telamon held a great
feast in his house, to which all the men of the
island were bidden, both rich and poor, and while
they sat at table, one of his servants told him
that a stranger stood at the gate, desiring to
speak with him.

" What manner of man is he," said Telamon,
" and why do you not bring him into the hall ? "

THE BUILDERS OF TROY 287

" He seems in haste to depart, O King," said
the servant, "and as for who or what he is, we
know not, but he is strangely arrayed. He has
no garment but a lion's-skin girt about him, and
carries the hugest bow that ever man saw."

" It is the noble Heracles," cried Telamon,
" my father's friend and mine," and he ran to
the gate to welcome him. Heracles, for he it
was indeed, at first excused himself from coming
in to the banquet, saying that he had come on
other business than merrymaking, as might be
seen from his rough garb. "You shall tell me
of that when vou have eaten and drunk," said

j

Telamon, " for it is ill talking between a full
man and a fasting. Come, you shall not deny
me ; this, you must know, is my marriage-feast,
and it is a lucky chance that brings me such
a guest to grace it." With that, he brought
Heracles into the hall, and set him in the seat
of honour, and the feast went merrily on. Then,
when all had their fill of good cheer, Telamon
bade his cup-bearer fill a great golden cup with
wine, and, taking the goblet, he gave it into
the hand of Heracles, saying, " My noble guest,
pour out now the accustomed libation, for you
are worthier than I." And thereby he paid
Heracles the highest mark of honour, since it
was his own right, as lord of the feast, to pour
out the first drink-offering to the gods. Now

288 THE GOLDEN PORCH

the custom of the drink-offering was that when
men began carousing after a feast, their cups
were filled thrice with wine, and at each filling
one cup was poured out to some god with a
prayer for blessing, but always the first cup of
those three was offered to Zeus. Heracles took
the golden goblet, and rose up, and thus he
prayed as he poured the wine on the ground :
" Hear me now, King of Gods, if ever prayer
of mine could win your grace. Grant that a
son may be born to Telamon, my friend, as
brave in soul and as strong in body as the lion
whose hide I wear, even that mighty beast I
slew at Nemea, in the first of my fights with
savage monsters." Even as he spoke, an eagle
flew into the hall through the open doors,
perched a moment on the oaken rafters, and
flew forth again. " Rejoice, Telamon," cried
Heracles, " for Zeus has sent his own bird in
sign that he will grant my prayer. You will
have the son your heart secretly longs for, and
when he is born, call him, I charge you, after
the eagle." Heracles said this with rapt look,
and chanting voice, like a seer when the spirit
of prophecy comes over him, and forthwith he
sat down. Presently Telamon asked him what
that errand was that brought him to Salamis,
but Heracles said, " I came to call you to a
fray, and little thought to light on a wedding-

THE BUILDERS OF TROY 289

feast. Let us speak of the matter to-morrow,
for I will not mar these revels with talk of
blood-shedding."

So, on the morrow, he told Telamon that he
needed a warrior comrade to sail with him to
Troy and fight against Laomedon, who had used
him very evilly ; and Telamon was so eager to
share the adventure that he commanded a ship
to be made ready, took leave of his bride, and
set sail with Heracles that very day. Laomedon
heard news of their landing, and went out to give
them battle with all his men.

That day those two valiant comrades did
wondrous feats of arms, and, with the crew of
one ship, they fought the whole army of Troy,
until they drove them in flight to their walls.
Many were slain as they fled, but Laomedon
and the greater part of his host escaped into
the city, and barred the gates behind them.
Then, shouting his war-cry in a voice like
thunder, Telamon sprang to the wall, and, in
the very spot where the serpent crossed it, he
battered it down with the butt-end of his spear,
and rushed through the breach, calling Heracles
to follow. And Heracles came after, bending
his terrible bow, and shot Laomedon through
the heart in the midst of the city. When the
people saw their King fall there was no more
spirit in them. "Troy is taken," they cried,

T

290 THE GOLDEN PORCH

and implored mercy of the conquerors. Thus
did vengeance overtake that treacherous King.
Heracles took all the treasures of his house,
and all the wealth of the city, and divided the
spoil, giving a due portion to all his followers.
Now three sons of Laomedon were slain in the
fight, but his youngest, who was yet a child,
was found hiding in the palace with his sister,
the Princess Hesione, and they were brought
as captives to Heracles. The princess wept and
wrung her hands, crying, " Alas, great champion,
will you slay this child for his father's sin ? "

" Nay, princess," said Heracles, " that would
be far from me. I would set him free, for
my own part, but my comrades have a right to
divide the captives among them by lot. Never-
theless, you shall ransom him at a price from
the man to whom the lot gives him. As for
yourself, I may claim you for my own prize,
because I am leader." Then they drew lots for
all the captives, and the little prince fell to the
lot of Telamon.

"Chieftain," said Hesione, "what ransom will
you take for my brother ? ' :

" I will take the gold-broidered veil you
wear," said Telamon.

So Hesione ransomed her brother for that
price, and gave him in charge to the elders of
the city to be brought up. From that day the

THE BUILDERS OF TROY 291

child was called Priam, which means " Bought
with a price," and when he grew up he reigned
as king in Troy.

But Hesione was glad when she heard she was
the prize of Heracles, for she had loved him
since he delivered her from being cast to the
sea-monster, and she said to him, " It were hate-
ful to me to abide here now my father is dead.
Let me follow you whithersoever you are going,
my lord."

" Fairest Hesione," said Heracles, ' I am a
wanderer on the earth, and my road lies in
perilous places, where I cannot take a maiden.
I will send you with Telamon to Salamis, and
for my sake he will treat you well, but as for me,
I am going even now on another adventure."

" I go not home without you, my comrade,"
cried Telamon. " Never shall it be said that I
returned with spoils and captives, leaving you
to face new dangers alone. Take me on your
quest, whatever it be, and let me have the glory
of fighting twice at the side of Heracles." Then
Heracles consented, and when Telamon had sent
his ship home with Hesione and the other cap-
tives, and the booty, the two friends went east-
ward to the country of the Amazons. For the
king whom Heracles served had bidden him
fetch for his daughter the golden girdle of the
Amazon Queen. Now the Amazons were a

292 THE GOLDEN PORCH

nation of women, who suffered no men to come
into their country, and they were warriors all,
armed with brazen bows, and riding fierce swift
horses. But how Heracles, with help of Tela-
mon, overcame them in a great battle, and took
the girdle of their Queen, who fell fighting, and
what else the comrades did before they came back
to Salamis, belongs to another tale. Here we tell
only of the building of Troy and what came of it.
A whole year was Telamon away, and when
he came again to his house he found it full of
mirth and gladness, because the son was born
for whom Heracles prayed. Telamon remem-
bered his friend's bidding, and called the child
Ajax, which means " The Eagle " in the old
speech of that land. And Ajax grew up a
mighty youth, according to the prayer of
Heracles, with a fearless soul that matched
his stalwart body. Meanwhile King Aeacus
heard all these things in Aegina, and sent for
his son Telamon, desiring to be reconciled to
him before he died. When the ship he had
sent returned, Aeacus went down to the harbour
to meet it, and saw his son standing on the deck,
holding the young Ajax in his arms, and they
greeted again with tears. But Telamon would
not set foot on shore till he had solemnly called
the gods to witness that he was guiltless of
murdering Phocus his brother.

THE BUILDERS OF TROY 293

Now while Telamon sojourned in Aegina, the
time came for good King Aeacus to die, and in
his last hour, he bade his son bring the child
Ajax to him. And then he told the marvel he
had seen at the building of Troy's wall, and how
Apollo foretold from the sign of the Three
Serpents that the city should twice be taken
by warriors of his house, and the second time
be utterly laid low. " The gods grant," he
said, laying his hand on the head of Ajax,
" that this my grandchild, may prove to be
that Third Serpent, the conqueror." But that
prayer was vain, for the fate of Ajax was other-
wise ordained. He went indeed with the great
host that beleaguered Troy in days to come, and
of all the champions who fought in the long
war, none did more valiant deeds than he,
except Achilles, the son of Peleus. But those
two were the two warriors sprung /from Aeacus,
whose doom w<:s foreshadowed by the death of
the first Two St:rpeat?. Who, then, was the
Third, the golden -crested, .who, sprang with a
cry of victory o^er ' : tfi6'.',new r buiit wall ? In the
tale of Peleus and Thetis, it was told how
Achilles wedded the king's daughter of the
isle where his mother hid him, and left her,
a mourning bride, to follow the way of glory.
And he, the flower of all heroes, found death
and o ^athless fame on the battlefield of Troy,

294 THE GOLDEN PORCH

and never saw the child whom the king's
daughter bore to him in Scyros. Then came
a prophecy to the Greek host that the city
should never be taken without help of the son
of Achilles, and they sent and fetched the young
prince to their camp. The comrades of his
father beheld the lad with mingled joy and
pain, so like he was to their lost chief, and
when he led them to the fight in shining arms,
and flew lion-like upon the foes, the cry went
up that Achilles was come back to life. And
in no long time all Apollo's word to Aeacus
was fulfilled, for that golden-haired youth
was the golden-crested conquering Serpent who
appeared to the Builders of Troy.

rr.

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